Steve Burns
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) Metro’s embattled Board of Directors may be hitting a new low, if you ask Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.
“It’s outrageous. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Hogan told reporters Wednesday.
Hogan referred to Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans’ repeated threats to hold up a land transfer Maryland needs from Metro to move forward on the Purple Line. Evans said he would break out a rarely-used jurisdictional veto Thursday if Maryland’s representatives on the board did not support his plan to restructure the board.
“It seems as if the Chairman of the WMATA Board is attempting to practice extortion against the State of Maryland,” Hogan said. “We would take serious action if this extortion attempt actually took place. But anybody involved in that should be ashamed of themselves. We’re not going to allow it to happen.”
Hogan, issuing a threat of his own, vowed to sign on to a controversial proposal from former Transportation Secretary RayLaHood calling for Metro’s current board to be disbanded and replaced with a streamlined “reform board.”
Evans’ less radical restructuring proposal would reduce the number of committees and adjust rules on who can chair those committees. Hogan also claimed the proposal would allow Evans to extend his own term as chairman, though Evans disputed that in interviews with multiple media outlets. Evans declined an interview with WMAL through a spokesperson.
Hogan’s office has called for Evans’ resignation multiple times following several spats between the two. Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly joined in in asking Evans to step aside as well. However, he received a notable vote of confidence this week from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“From my estimation, knowing all the players, knowing what the issues are, he’s doing exactly what needs to be done at Metro,” Bowser said during a breakfast with the D.C. Council, which Evans also attended as the Ward 2 Councilmember. “Is he popular among other jurisdictions? No. Does he make them uncomfortable because he’s calling out very specific issues? Yes. Is he right on those issues? In my view, he is.”
Bowser went on to say the criticisms she hears about Evans and the similarly outspoken D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson only serve as confirmation of their good work.
“Any time I have people from around the region complaining to me about Jack and Phil, they’re doing something right,” she said.
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