WASHINGTON,DC - MAR11: Metro riders board trains and ride the escalators at L'Enfant Plaza metro station in Washington, DC, March 11, 2015. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post) (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)
More than a year after President Barack Obama’s transportation secretary appointed a trio of safety experts to Metro’s governing panel, the Trump administration will replace two of them with its own appointees this week.
The incoming members — whose names could not be learned Sunday — will take the place of Carol Carmody and David L. Strickland, the federal government’s voting representatives on Metro’s board of directors, according to multiple board members with knowledge of the decision.
Carmody, a former vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, presided over the panel’s safety committee. Strickland, the former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, headed the real estate committee, but was frequently absent over the past year because of health issues.
The third person appointed by then-Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, alternate member Robert C. Lauby, is expected to remain in his role.
[Foxx, saying ‘no more excuses’ for Metro, replaces 3 board members]
The new appointees were expected to be announced as soon as Monday, those with knowledge of the decision said, and to take office as early as Thursday, when the full board will meet and consider key changes to its governing structure, which has come under scrutiny in recent years as the transit system has struggled with major financial and operational problems.
Board Chairman Jack Evans confirmed that he had been informed of the upcoming appointments over the weekend, but he declined to elaborate. The U.S. Transportation Department declined requests for additional information.
The 16-member board consists of eight voting and eight alternate directors, with two votes each from the District, Maryland, Virginia and the federal government.
There is the possibility of a “jurisdictional veto,” when both voting members from the District, Maryland or Virginia align with “no” votes.
Board members from the deep-blue Washington region tend to be Democrats, and in some cases they have pressed for increased funding for Metro. The Republican president’s transportation agenda, in contrast, seeks a decrease in federal spending, with a larger reliance on private investment and potential public-private partnerships.
[On Metro board, another dispute, more strong words, and a rare veto]
Board members said they were not surprised that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao would want to make her own appointments to the Metro board, even so soon into the current directors’ terms. Carmody was a year into a four-year appointment, while Strickland had two years remaining in his three-year term, Carmody said.
“I’m sorry to leave,” Carmody said in an interview Sunday. “But elections have consequences, as the saying goes, and if the new secretary wants to replace these jobs, she certainly has the right to.”
Carmody said she had been informed that the replacements had already been selected and would be joining the board “very soon.” Until then, Lauby and alternate member Anthony E. Costa will vote on behalf of the federal government.
“We have turned some corners as a board and made some big decisions and tough choices,” Carmody said. “It’s a very good board, and over the past year, I think we’ve really come together and worked well together through a lot of soul-searching.”
Strickland’s tenure was marked by repeated absences, which he attributed in an interview last week to illnesses: his wife’s battle with breast cancer and a life-threatening infection he had.
Strickland said he has made an effort to be physically present, adding that his fellow board members, including Evans, had been updated on the reasons behind his absence.
“I have a full appreciation for the responsibilities of the board,” he said last week. “I plan to serve my term as long as the president has made the decision to allow me to stay.”
According to public minutes of Metro board meetings, Strickland missed six out of the 12 board meetings since his appointment. Of the six he attended, one was by phone. He did not attend a special meeting of the board last month.
He attended four out of nine meetings of the Capital Program, Planning and Real Estate Committee, which he chairs.
Portions of this report regarding board voting procedures have been amended from an earlier version.