(The following article by John Garcia was posted on Chicago television station CBS 7’s website on June 8.)
CHICAGO — A change of leadership for the first time ever at Metra is in the works.
Chairman Jeffrey Ladd is stepping down. He has led the agency for more than two decades.
In an exclusive interview with ABC7’s John Garcia, he reflected on some of the agency’s success and failures.
He is the only chairman Metra has ever known. When Jeffrey Ladd took over as head of the Metra board when it was established in 1984 mass transit was in debt, the equipment was run-down and service sporadic. More than two decades later, Metra has become a model agency.
“I know where we came from, and I think everyone considers us the premiere commutr rail in the country,” said Jeffrey Ladd, retiring Metra chair.
It hasn’t happened without some controversy along the way. But Metra has always operated with a unified public front. Most board votes are unanimous.
“I thought that was a key to one of our strengths. That wasn’t always the case. We’ve had some slugfests in the back room,” Ladd said.
Ladd has faced few challenges to his leadership over the years. But the current board is planning an election within 90 days, and with his 65th birthday coming up, Ladd decided it was time to write this letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert announcing his Retirment.
Ladd says he has seen many successes at Metra, like the way the agency rallied when fire destroyed a bridge three years ago in Riverdale. They rebuilt it in a week. And heartbreak, like the crash that killed two women last September. The train was traveling well over the speed limit.
But Ladd is also leaving the agency in the midst of major expansion. Currently, Metra’s rail lines connect the suburbs to downtown, suburb to suburb. Ladd’s dream is well on its way to being realized. The Star Line will run between Joliet to Hoffman Estates and to O’Hare Airport before heading to the city.
“The City of Chicago, you got a bus stop every four blocks. The suburbs, if you’re lucky, you can drive to a train station in five miles,” Ladd said.
Ladd envisions a day when suburbanites will have many more transportation options. But after 22 years, he says he is ready to let someone else oversee that progress.