Alex Wayne, activist (so long as it doesn't require, like, actual activity)

One of journalism's many commandments: thou shalt not involve thyself in the activity of governments thou covers.

So because I cover Congress, I don't blog about what they're up to (er, much) or write letters to congressmen or anything like that. Somewhat refreshingly, however, I suddenly feel free to involve myself (a little) in local government. And since I live in a city that may have the sorriest local government in America, opportunity abounds.

For example: the Washington Post recently published an excellent series on our badly mismanaged public transit system. In response, I sent an e-mail to the Metro board of directors (who should all be replaced, by the way):

Dear Metro Board of Directors:

As a frequent Metro rider, I am generally pleased by
the system's service and supportive of providing the
agency more money, including a dedicated revenue
source.

My support, however, has been badly shaken by the
disclosures in just the first chapter of the
Washington Post's series on the state of Metro. The
agency appears to be in a state of disarray and very
badly mismanaged; it does not deserve increased
funding until public confidence is restored.

I hope you will act swiftly to right the agency. I
would offer two suggestions, based on the Washington
Post report, that I believe you could implement
immediately:

1. Replace the chief executive, Richard A. White, who
is ultimately responsible for the millions of dollars
that have been wasted on bad equipment and failed
maintenance.

2. Contract with private firms for escalator
maintenance. At my home station, Eastern Market, one
or the other of the platform escalators seems to be
almost permanently under repair; now I know why.

Sincerely,

Alex Wayne

In response, I get this:

Dear Alex Wayne:

Thank you for your June 4, 2005, e-mail  to the Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Board.  The Board has requested that I
respond to you.  

While it is not always possible to implement every suggestion made, we
do consider each one carefully and value your opinions.  Regarding your
idea to contract with private firms for escalator maintenance, WMATA
uses both contractors and in-house mechanics for escalator repairs.  Both
groups have performance standards they must meet.  WMATA has more
escalators than any transit system in the world.  Many of those escalators
are more than 25 years old, but the overall reliability of the rail
system's 588 escalators has improved three percent during the past five
years.  WMATA is taking several steps to improve escalator performance,
including: installing canopies over rehabilitated escalators; installing
remote monitoring systems to quickly identify breakdowns; and
conducting more frequent inspections.

I hope I have addressed your concerns.  We look forward to continuing
to serve you and improving our services for you and all of our patrons.

Sincerely,

Joseph Galinanes
Director of Customer Service
Department of Communications

Nice try, Joe. But you seem to have addressed only one of my two suggestions. An oversight, I'm sure.