For whom the bell tolls?

This week's edition of the weekly online survey at the Washington Business Journal is whether or not Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority President and General Manager John Catoe should be fired, as a result of the June crash which killed nine people. See this entry.

I haven't listened to the recent Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU-Radio featuring the region's leading public official concerned with transit, Chris Zimmerman, from Arlington County, Virginia. On the show he advocated for Mr. Catoe's retention.

There are many changes that need to occur with WMATA, how it is structured, managed, and most important led and funded.

Part of the disconnect within WMATA comes from lack of quality leadership at the top (especially the board) and the failure of the three jurisdictions--Virginia, Maryland, and DC--to put an adequate supra-state regulatory structure in place, to make sure that the transit authority is doing the right thing and there is oversight.

Most of these problems long predate Mr. Catoe. (Which doesn't excuse what happened.)

See these past blog entries:

-- Will nine deaths lead to a better governance, oversight, and management system for WMATA? Or not?
-- The webpage of the California Public Utilities Commission oversight of rail transit systems
-- WMATA and transit marketing vs. crisis communications

for more on this broad topic.