State senator pushes bill seeking replacement of Metra board

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The Metra board has taken a lot of heat since revelations that former Metra executive director Philip Pagano took $475,000 in pay for unused vacation time, even when he took the vacations.

After Pagano's suicide in May, the board took steps to provide more oversight on staff pay and benefits. But state Sen. Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) says the reforms are too little, too late. He has a bill before the state Senate Transportation Committee to replace the entire Metra board. And he wants the members appointed by the governor, not by county boards.

Link says he's "very upset" that the board still hasn't chosen a new executive director after seven months. The acting executive director is longtime Metra official William Tupper.

"He may be the nicest man in the world, but we shouldn't be in the business of promoting someone who was right there before [Pagano's death]," Link said. "You have to go to the outside."

State Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago) supports Link's bill, saying she believes Metra hasn't invested enough in Chicago's black neighborhoods. "Anything we can do to bring accountability," Collins said.

Metra board chair Carole Doris declined comment on the bill.