Political Quotes

“I rise to address a crisis of confidence at Chicagoland's suburban commuter railroad--Metra. Metra plays a vital role for our area--reducing congestion and carrying thousands of suburban residents to and from Chicago each day. But recent developments highlight a troubled transit system and a misuse of public dollars. Earlier this summer it was reported that Metra CEO Alex Clifford received a severance package worth nearly $750,000 following allegations of political influence at the agency. Clifford received $442,237 alone just to buyout the remaining term of his contract, on top of $307,390 for an additional 12 months if he is unable to find new employment. This is a gross misuse of public dollars. With this action, Metra's former CEO makes more than President Obama, who currently makes $400,000 a year. I asked the Congressional Research Service how this golden parachute ranks compared to the annual salary of the top ten largest transit agencies in the country, and the results were surprising. Each of the top 10 largest transit systems pays their chief executive no more than $350,000, meaning Metra, the 24th largest transit agency in the country, had the highest earning CEO. Fortunately federal taxpayer dollars did not contribute to Clifford's golden parachute. But Metra is expected to receive more than $135 million in federal capital dollars.…”