RTA chairman's pay could double
The transit system's chairman could have his pay doubled thanks to a provision tucked into a massive tax hike measure aimed at saving the region's train and bus system.
Critics said the perk taints the public perception of the already-controversial legislation, which will also add more members to the Metra and the Regional Transportation Authority boards.
The annual salary of the RTA chairman, who oversees Metra, Pace and the CTA, will rise from $25,000 to $50,000 if the current legislation is approved. The politically appointed post is normally held by those who also have high-paying outside jobs, such as lawyers or political consultants.
Chairman Jim Reilly, a consultant, former lawmaker and former aide to Gov. Jim Edgar, said he would like the pay raise, but he would be happy to drop it if it helped get the legislation passed.
"I haven't spent two years of my life working on this legislation to have it fail for that," he said, adding that the increase would bring the post's salary in line with the $50,000 annual pay of the CTA chair.
The tax hike has yet to gain approval from key lawmakers, but supporters hope to push it through the legislature by the end of the month before CTA and Pace officials start to roll out promised fare hikes and service cuts.
The RTA chair's pay boost drew a shot Friday from Metra Director Phil Pagano who joked that it was the legislature's way of reducing expenses.
The legislation would also increase the Metra board from seven to 11 posts, but does not change the $15,000 salaries for board members or $25,000 salary for Metra's chair.
"That is part of the cost-cutting measures," joked Metra board member Jack Schaffer, who represents the collar counties, about his board's potential increase in size.
The boards at the CTA and Pace appear to be unaffected by the legislation.
Meanwhile, the RTA board would be increased from 13 members to 16, making it one of the largest politically appointed boards in the state. Each of those new members will get a $25,000 salary, plus transportation expenses and health and pension benefits.
Advocates say the RTA chair's responsibilities justify the new pay, and the Metra and RTA boards need more members to more evenly distribute regional power.
The new RTA board would have five appointees from Chicago, five from Cook County and five from the collar counties. The new Metra board would have additional appointees from individual collar counties. Both boards vote to appoint their own chairman.
State Rep. Sid Mathias, a Buffalo Grove Republican and member of the House transit committee, said the RTA chairman's pay hike is justified because of the hours required to oversee one of the nation's largest transit systems.
"The salary increase is deserved," he said.
Still, Mathias says the pay hike doesn't belong in the tax hike and transit reform measure, which has had trouble winning approval from lawmakers.
"I don't want anything to interfere with this bill," he said.
Writers of the current transit tax hike legislation debated raising salaries for the rest of the RTA board members and the boards at Metra, Pace and the CTA, Mathias said. Apparently, the pay raise for the RTA chairman was the only one to make the final cut.
Reilly has been an instrumental force behind the transit funding legislation, traveling often to newspaper editorial boards, public meetings and the legislature to make a case for its approval.
On Friday, Reilly said his $25,000 salary has seemed low compared to his workload and he doesn't think the pay hike would mar the overall legislation.
"I can't imagine this becomes an issue," he said.
The legislation will raise the sales tax in Cook and the collar counties a quarter-cent to bring in more than $300 million for Metra, Pace and the CTA. The three agencies are on the verge of substantial fare hikes and service cuts to fill a combined $240 million budget hole this year.