If you’re new you may need to know that Metra is the government authority that oversees the Illinois commuter rail operations for the Chicago area. They’re generally well thought of and recognized as a very good system. I’ve certainly used the service and have a good impression of Metra.
But there seems to be a problem with some money…
The allegations CAN’T BE TRUE!!! In Chicago? Illinois??? No way!!!
Hays
Yes Ive herd that this guy is a political hack. This is almost as ridiculous as the bank bailout with executives also giving themselves bounces. This cant happen anymore.
Remember, this is the United States, where a person is granted the illusion of being “innocent until proven guilty”.
What amazes me most is that he thought he was going to get away with it when the budget is under the microscope right now.
Pagano is not a “political hack” - he’s well thought of. Something doesn’t make sense here. He couldn’t have unilaterally decided to pay himself a bonus. Other people in RTA had to approve it. It’s going to be interesting to see what actually happened.
Sez who – his mother? What is the source of your assertion?
Hays,
That statement is predominantly true because the watchdogs ( the general public) has gone to sleep at the wheel. Some areas have become a hotbed of corruption. To include the railroads in this discusssion look at the western suburbs of Chicago.
I like an old South African proverb that reads as follows.
“Politicians are like a bunch of bananas.They hang together, they are all yellow, and there is not a straight one among them.”
Could that apply to Chicago, or perhaps Detroit? LOL!
I’m very surprised by these allegations since Phil Pagano has done a fine job of running Metra for the past 20 years. I’ve met him many times and I’ve never heard anything bad about him. It will be interesting to see where these allegations lead. I’m not sure where the so-called “bonus” money came from. Perhaps some kind of federal grant that inlcuded an administrative fee? Even Sen. Durbin has jumped in on this. If the allegations are true, then I will really be disappointed since I always had a high opinion of Pagano.
[quote user=“Mike O”]
I’m very surprised by these allegations since Phil Pagano has done a fine job of running Metra for the past 20 years. {emphasis added}
How do you know? Have you worked there? Do you know anything about the factors that determine whether he performs well or not?
I’ve met him many times and I’ve never heard anything bad about him.
Part of the shtick of running an agency is to project a good image. Did it ever occur to you that Pigano has (or perhaps had) a PR Department geared to make him look good, whether he did a good job or not. Remember the in-house PR-flack first claimed that METRA awarded no bonuses (heh, heh), and only after poersistent hounding by outside media did the Chair-babe of METRA start to look seriously into the bonus allegations. The fact that the TRAINS MAGAZINE website reports Pigano has been told not to leave town (“METRA CHIEF TOLD NOT TO LEAVE CHICAGO AREA”) suggests that the boy has some major 'splaining to do.
It will be interesting to see where these allegations lead.
Sure will!!
I’m not sure where the so-called “bonus” money came from. Perhaps some kind of federal grant that inlcuded an administrative fee?
For Pigano only? Gimme a break!!
Even Sen. Durbin has jumped in on this.
Of course. He’s a Democrat and my sources suggest Pigano is a Republican.
If the allegations are true, then I will really be disappointed since I always had a high opinion of Pagano.
Again, WHY??
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The money came from us. Even the Federal government gets its money from us.
OMG! I’m with Hays! What he said!
Sounds like someone failed to share the wealth? He may be the only hoinest and competent government in the state of Illinois, but when he got handed that ‘gift’, He should have wiped his fingerprints off the thing and run the other way! Most of us learned when we were children, when you were tagged, you were “IT” and you either ran and tagged someone else, or you had ‘won’.
Sort of sounds like this guy failed to notice the Red Block and ran the signal.
He WAS the Engineer, so he’s tagged with the resultant damage, and blame, or glory (?).
One thing for sure he won’t be the first political appointee in that State to get his knuckles rapped, and put in ‘time out’.
Innocent or guilty, he’ll be the guy to suffer, That’s Illinois politics!
The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that the Metra Director committed suicide by jumping in front of one of his agency’s own trains.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2247226,phil-pagano-metra-train-death-050710.article
Crain’s Chicago Business is reporting that Pagano committed suicide stepping in front of a Metra train near Crystal Lake.
With his suicide, Pigano answered far more eloquently than any half-baked internal investigation (which was no doubt intended to sweep as much as possible under the rug) the question of his guilt or culpability. To me, it speaks volumes for the man that he lacked the intestinal fortitude to face the music.
Syonara!
Regarding his mode of death, it’s too bad that a perfectly good train should befoul itself on his carcass.
Not an elegant, nor appropriate exit. Sympathies to his family and the train crew involved.
Your heart goes out to the crewman (men?) on the train Pagano used to sluff his mortal coil. You also have to feel sympathy for his family.
As Billio stated previously. Pagano certainly claimed the measure of his own guilt, but by stopping what would possibly have been a whitewashed cover-up. You have to wonder if his ‘falling on his sword’ was just the act of a coward taking the easyway out. Or a cover for ‘bigger fish’?
To take that line of thinking one step farther, did he ‘fall on his sword’ or was he pushed? [}:)]
Was this the line to McHenry, Ill?
http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=6774
LOL, well, at least he finally showed a bit of dedication to his company. He showed how well the locomotives were built! Sure, a couple-hundred pound body against approx a hundred tons of steel isn’t much, but “steel”…
Hey, think of all the money saved not having to deal with lawsuits and court cases. And prison. And guards. And liars, er, lawyers. I guess it all worked out okay, as the system is pretty cash-strapped these days, so any unnecessary costs being avoided helps.
Were others involved? That now becomes harder to answer. Will this death cause further suspicion, or be used to proclaim case closed?
If the investigation continues, how much greater the expense without the aid of the deceased?