Politics behind delay in picking Metra chairman

The next leader of Metra’s board of directors remains a mystery.

Officials delayed choosing a chairman Friday, deferring the decision until the end of March.

Former Chairman Carole Doris left the agency in late April, following a turbulent 2010 in which CEO Phil Pagano committed suicide amid a scandal involving use of Metra funds.

It was later revealed Pagano pilfered about $475,000 in unauthorized vacation pay and had total control of the agency, allowing an environment of nepotism and inappropriate spending.

As a result of the scandal, several state senators sought the dismissal of the entire Metra board. A compromise between lawmakers and county chairmen, Chicago’s mayor and Cook commissioners — who appoint Metra directors — was supposed to have been reached earlier this year in which the board was expected to step down mid-2012.

That gentlemen’s agreement has apparently fallen by the wayside, officials say. As a result, the Metra board is a hybrid of new appointees and veteran members.

The position of chairman — held by Acting Chairman Larry Huggins — is also in play. Eight votes are required to select a chairman but right now there’s a lack of consensus among the Metra board and the powers that be who appoint them for a new leader.

Huggins will continue as acting chairman for another three months.

The Pagano controversy “brought the board together,” Huggins said at a Friday board meeting.

And though one reason for the delay in picking a chairman results from a struggle between collar county and Cook County officials to have a local representative as chairman, the board has worked as a team, Chicagoan Huggins said.

“We have 11 chairman up here,” he said. “It doesn’t make a difference if I’m a Republican from DuPage or McHenry County or a Democrat from Chicago.”

Director Jim LaBelle of Zion said the board was functioning just fine without a chairman. “It’s been one of Metra’s most productive years,” he said.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers may be working on legislation to have a chairman from Cook County or from the collar counties serving alternate terms, Director Jack Schaffer of Cary said.

The Metra chairman receives a $25,000 stipend annually.