Former CTA Executive To Replace Claypool In Top Spot
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Get ready for a new man in the driver's seat at the CTA. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was set to name a man with more than 30 years of public transportation experience in Chicago and Washington as the transit agency's new president on Tuesday.
Dorval Carter Jr., 57, will become the first African American to run the CTA, replacing Forrest Claypool, who is moving up to be Emanuel's chief of staff.
Carter currently is the acting chief of staff to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox.
"Dorval is a seasoned professional who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge about public transportation to the CTA," Emanuel said. "And just as importantly, he already has a long and successful track record with CTA, and understands the opportunities and challenges it faces."
Carter has a total of 16 years experience in two stints at the CTA. He started there in 1984 as a staff attorney, and moved up the ladder several times until moving to the Federal Transit Administration in 1991.
He returned to the CTA in 2000, as executive vice president and chief administrative officer, before going back to the Federal Transit Administration for more than five years in three top posts until he took over as acting chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
His service in Washington should serve the city well when it comes to obtaining federal grants to fund transit projects in Chicago.
A he takes over the top spot at the CTA, he'll have two major renovation projects on his plate: an overhaul of the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line, and modernization of the Purple and Red lines on the North Side.
Carter is expected to start the week of May 18th.
