Catoe Discovers Realities of Metro's Board

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DURING THE METRO BOARD'S SEARCH to find a permanent replacement for ousted chief executive Richard White, there were many board members who were more than happy to proceed with naming the interim chief, Dan Tangherlini, as the transit agency's permanent leader. However, the idea was met with vocal opposition from some Virginia board members who pushed for a more extensive search, saying the former head of the D.C. Department of Transportation wasn't in touch with the needs of suburban commuters.

Adrian Fenty, fresh off his election as D.C.'s mayor last year, took advantage of the Metro board's delay and tapped the highly popular Tangherlini to become his city administrator.

Metro then imported John Catoe from Los Angeles. And after nine months on the job, Catoe, pictured here, has been quickly schooled in the realities of the multi-jurisdictional board, where competing interests in Virginia, Maryland and The District make pushing larger initiatives — like his proposed fare increase — difficult. The Post's Lena H. Sun took a look at how regional politics can complicate the Metro board's decision-making process.

As Dana Kauffman, who represents Virginia on the board puts it, "when you're talking about a fare increase, it's more an exercise in modern dance than a display of direct action." So it's definitely not a tango. Maybe it's more of an uncoordinated country line dance?

» "Political Realities Stalled Fare Hike" [WaPo]
» EARLIER: "The Morning News: Dan's the Man for D.C." [Free Ride/Express]

Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post