* Tribune op-ed by Lester L. Barclay, who chairs the Chicago Transit Board: “Transit funding was secured, but the CTA paid a price”…

But as we celebrate this moment, we must be honest with the people of Chicago: This funding victory comes with a price for the city of Chicago and the CTA. And it’s fair to ask: What did we give up in exchange for this historic investment?

Alongside new funding, the bill introduces sweeping regional governance reform meant to improve coordination and accountability among agencies. The bill establishes the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, a 20-member board that will oversee the CTA, Metra and Pace.

Chicago’s mayor will appoint only five members. The rest will come from the governor, Cook County and the collar counties. Under this new structure, practically all policies and operational decisions that previously received final approval from the CTA will now be subject to the final authorization by the NITA board — an arrangement that, while designed to promote coordination, risks diluting the local accountability and autonomy that have been essential to delivering responsive, community-centered service. The CTA — and by extension, Chicago — now faces limits on how we can acquire property, procure goods and services for our daily operations, lead construction projects and manage programs that have long driven economic growth. Those changes may seem technical, but they have real implications for how we serve our riders.

For one of the nation’s largest and most complex transit systems, this could challenge our ability to operate efficiently and responsively. This bill marks the end of Chicago’s autonomy over its own transit system.

Hilarious.

“Local accountability” that delivered “responsive, community-centered service” while the CTA operated “efficiently and responsively”?

Right.