New CTA Board Member Wants to Nix Fare Hike

By Prescott Carlson in News on Oct 11, 2008 7:00PM

Former deputy governor Sheila Nix, who stepped down last June and was recently appointed by Governor Blagojevich to the Chicago Transit Authority board, says that she would vote against a recently proposed fare hike. The CTA says the increased fares are necessary due to rising fuel costs and the decrease in real estate transfer taxes, a portion of which goes to fund the CTA. Nix is critical of the increase, because she claims the recent state funding received after the "doomsday" in January was supposed to avoid this situation:

"It seems to me you're raising credibility questions when less than 10 months later, you're asking for a fare increase right after people got a sales tax increase," Nix said today after a board meeting.

Another contributing factor the the current CTA shortfall is the almost $20 million $26.5 million in projected lost revenue from providing free rides to seniors, the arm twisting maneuver that Blagojevich rammed into the most recent transit bill. Did we mention that Ms. Nix was the governor's key adviser on the free ride program? Yeah, neither did she. [S-T]

Photo by kookybites