Politics
CTA President Dorval Carter to Resign
Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter plans to resign on Jan. 31 after nearly a decade leading the agency.
Carter shepherded the agency during a precipitous drop in ridership and revenue during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and oversaw major projects including the ongoing Red-Purple Modernization, the overhaul of the 95th/Dan Ryan transit hub, and the Red Line Extension that’s expected to begin construction later this year.
But Carter also faced major criticism from riders and elected officials frustrated by gaps in bus and train service, unpredictable wait times, concerns about rider safety, and a lack of transparency. His contentious relationship with the City Council led alderpeople to pass a measure requiring the CTA’s leader to appear for quarterly hearings.
“Serving as president of this great agency has been an extraordinary privilege and I am forever grateful for what has been the opportunity of a lifetime,” Carter said in a statement. “It has been an honor to work on behalf of CTA customers and to advance our mission in a city that I love so dearly.”
Carter first joined the CTA in 1984 as an attorney and has worked at the agency for a cumulative 26 years. He also spent time working in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Department of Transportation and its Federal Transit Administration, experience he cited as a key asset in helping the CTA land federal funding for major infrastructure projects.
Just last week, Carter joined federal and local leaders for a ceremonial signing of the funding agreement that will provide $1.9 billion in money from the FTA toward the Red Line Extension, which has long been a priority of Carter’s.
“The City of Chicago is grateful to President Dorval Carter for his decades of service with the Chicago Transit Authority,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “His leadership reimagined the movement of our city. His stewardship of the Red Line Extension project is just one of the notable achievements in his historic career.”
Johnson faced regular calls from Carter’s foes to fire the agency leader, an authority that rests with the CTA board. But critics were frustrated by Johnson’s apparent lack of interest in publicly advocating for such a move, despite what they saw as Carter’s failings.
“This is a system that you all need to take seriously, need to take care of, and I feel like since 2020 that has not happened,” Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) told Carter at a contentious 2022 hearing. “It is very expensive to own a car, to have car insurance, and gas is $5. We depend on CTA, and the thought that you all have dropped the ball is problematic for me.”
Carter also was slammed for Block Club Chicago reporting showing that he rarely swiped his Ventra card to ride the system, and for the agency’s slow response to the on-the-job death of bus operator Antia Lyons. But at a May hearing, he accused his critics of turning him into a caricature and overlooking his years of public service.
“I have been doing this work in spite of having opportunities to go elsewhere and in spite of having offers that were much more lucrative than the offers I have here,” said Carter, whose salary eventually rose to $376,000 annually. “I’ve been committed to this agency for almost my entire career. I think that I have done what I need to do to deserve the respect that should come with the position that I’m in.”
The CTA and its fellow transit agencies in the region are currently facing an estimated $730 million budget shortfall when federal relief money currently propping up operating budgets runs out next year. Carter, along with his peers at Metra, Pace, and RTA, have been advocating for a major funding boost from the Illinois General Assembly – and pushing back against a proposal to merge Chicagoland’s transit agencies into one.
Speaking after an unrelated press conference, state Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) said tackling transit’s fiscal cliff must happen “irrespective of who’s in charge of the CTA.”
“I’m excited about a new chapter of leadership for the CTA, especially as we in Springfield start thinking about the future of transit in the region,” Guzzardi said. “I think it will be very exciting to have a new partner at the city who can be a collaborative player in that process.”
State Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago), who was part of a delegation of Illinois leaders who recently visited Germany to tour their transit systems said the conversation about transit’s future would be happening in Springfield “whether Carter was there or not.”
“His ability to manage both the services and commuter relations was severely lacking,” Peters said. “This is a unique opportunity for CTA … I think we have a unique opportunity to really take Chicago transit to that next level.”
Carter plans to take a job as the president and CEO of Saint Anthony Hospital on the city’s West Side, where his father practiced medicine for four decades.
“President Carter is an internationally recognized and highly respected leader in the public transit industry, and CTA has been fortunate to benefit from his leadership and vision over the past decade as president,” CTA Board chair Lester Barclay said in a statement. “His legacy will leave a lasting impact on CTA, and we are grateful for his dedicated service.”
Amanda Vinicky contributed to this story.
