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Qualifications of WMATA Board Members

Testimony of the Transit First Coalition

Maryland Senate hearing, March 11, 2011

Paragraphs 4 and 6 of Bill 323 set out background qualifications for WMATA board members. The theme of these paragraphs is that board members should be selected for their technical or legal expertise, and should not be elected officials.

We oppose this bill. Metro's board needs to be accountable most of all to its riders and the public. It should not simply answer to the appointing authorities and to no one else. We do support other provisions of this bill, such as the requirement that board members be regular riders of bus, rail, or (this needs to be added) MetroAccess.

With a board composed of “experts” rather than public representatives, WMATA would be set up to fail through underfunding. Because such a board would have no independence from the appointing authorities, it would be under heavy pressure to remain silent when Metro is denied the money it needs. And the blame for the failures that would inevitably follow would fall on the faceless board members, not on those who are responsible for the underfunding. In such a situation, budget-makers would face an overwhelming temptation to deny Metro the money it needs.

A board that is known to the public and responsible to it, on the other hand, can be held accountable for Metro's performance. This is especially true when board members are public officials who have a voice in the budget. Rather than barring elected officials from the board, the legislature should seek a way to restructure the Washington Suburban Transit Commission so that elected officials can serve, just as they do on the Council of Governments.

Finally, we would like to point to the recent appointment to the board of Mike Barnes and Kathy Porter. As former elected officials well known to the public they, are exactly the sort of board members we believe Metro needs – and the kind of appointment that this bill would discourage (even if it does not forbid them outright). The reasons why Mr. Barnes and Ms. Porter are such good choices for the board are the reasons why Bill 323 should be defeated. .

Members of the Transit First Coalition: Action Committee for Transit, Alexandria Transit Riders Alliance, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation, Audubon Naturalist Society, CASA de Maryland, Clean Water Action, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Crofton First, DC Night Riders, Greater Greater Washington, MCGEO—UFCW Local 1994, Prince George's Advocates for Community-based Transit, Progressive Maryland, Save Maryland Area Rail Transit, Transit Riders United of Greenbelt