In the News
Crain's Chicago Business Blog, September 17, 2010
The real reform Metra needs, post-Pagano
The board of Metra today is approving a series of internal changes designed to prevent a repeat of the Phil Pagano affair.
The changes generally tighten the agency's supervision of its staff chief and outline in more detail who is supposed to get what pay and benefits, and when. All are good ideas.
But the real change the agency needs is to get an inspector general with power — and one selected not by Metra but by an outside group.
The late Mr. Pagano apparently broke the law, and Metra didn't know about it. In my book, that calls for not only tighter internal controls but a watchdog controlled not by the agency that already failed, but by someone else.
State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, is drafting legislation to do just that. But some transit insiders — who like the idea of monitoring themselves — are resisting.
Ms. Garrett's bill needs to pass — with Metra's full support.