The Paw Print

By Raina Suri, Staff Writer

On Jan. 13, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced through a press release that its president, Dorval Carter Jr. was stepping down. This announcement has come after years of controversy and poor public opinion surrounding Carter. When speaking about his time at the CTA, Carter said, “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, who had been the president of the CTA for around 10 years, started his CTA career as a staff attorney in September 1984. Throughout his 26 years at the CTA, he worked his way up from legal roles to administration. Now, Carter is set to take over as the president and CEO of St. Anthony’s Hospital.

One of the most well-known and recent of the projects Carter presided over is the Red Line Extension (RLE). This initiative is a 5.5 mile expansion of the Red Line, including four new stations and new rail yard facilities. The CTA anticipates economic benefits for the Far South Side, which makes up the neighborhoods around the RLE.

However, Carter’s time as president was fraught with controversy and poor public opinion. After COVID, the former president came under scrutiny because of the poor day-to-day transit authority service. Issues such as “ghost buses” that never arrived and reports of poor service and crime led many to question his leadership. While the CTA made efforts to provide remedies for these issues, legislators were not satisfied, and even Gov. J. B. Pritzker joined the call for a change in CTA leadership.

Carter’s retirement comes just as tensions in Springfield begin to rise about a proposed merger between the CTA, Metra, and Pace, coupled with worries about funding as the “fiscal cliff,”  or the point at which COVID-era funding will end, steadily approaches. Officials warn of serious threats to the transportation system if they do not receive more funding, especially since this “fiscal cliff” is due to arrive in 2026.

Nora Leerson is set to inherit all these new conflicts as she took office as the interim president of the CTA on Feb. 1. Leerhsen has served on the CTA for 14 years and in many different departments. Previous to this development, Leerhsen was the chief of staff for the transit authority. She will be the first woman to lead the CTA. “As acting president,” said Leerhsen, “I will build on our accomplishments as an agency and am confident that we are up to the task of carrying CTA successfully through this transition.”