Is John Catoe Human?

Incredible photos by Samer Farha

The following is a personal opinion piece on John Catoe, as a result of the WMATA bloggers round-table held on 1/13/09. For information on what exactly was discussed and what the key takeaways were from the meeting, see the We Love DC post here.

Direct, personable and genuine. Kind and gentle. Human.

Take a good, long look at that photo above. Study it. Look into his eyes. That guy is almost smiling. He looks friendly! Like a guy you could shoot the breeze with, sitting on the porch one hot summer day in DC...hell, maybe even sipping some lemonade while you talk over the Nats' latest home loss. But, is John Catoe really human?

If you told me a few months ago I'd be starting out an article about John Catoe that way...I would've called you ridiculous (or worse). But something changed last night at 600 F St NW, just after 5pm. With 11 local bloggers sitting around the board conference table, highly anticipating the first opportunity for any members of the media to have direct interaction with the Metro GM in 2010, Catoe walked out calmly and started his way around the massive table, shaking every hand as each blogger introduced themselves and the outlet they write for. One minute in and already there's something different here. Bloggers sitting around a table waiting for John Catoe? And they were actually invited to be here, audio recorders and cameras included? Yep, something is different. And it's a damn good start.

A man of his physical stature alone would often seem intimidating. Add on top of that the raw power and influence he carries over the entire DC region - influence that directly affects the lives of all of us almost every single day, the influence that drives an underground subway sub-culture known only to those of us who live here - and you get what adds up to sound like one seriously intimidating dude. But when John, and I feel I can call him John now, made his rounds and proceeded to take his seat while making a few statements about the current status of the Metro system, I surely didn't feel intimidated. He sat just 3 feet away from me, but I wasn't scared or nervous a bit. I was very comfortable in fact; and that wasn't just because the black leather chairs were comfy to sit in. I've spent more than my share of time around elected officials and executives, but John immediately came across as someone I could oddly relate to. Relate to how, I'm not really sure. But it felt that way. Who is this guy? Am I really thinking these things about the GM that I've repeatedly said is at fault for the incessant disasters that Metro continues to experience?

Throughout the 80 minute conversation we all had with Catoe, he made an attempt at answering every specific question, and looked the questioner firmly in the eyes as he did. He was relaxed but direct.

"I am being open and candid and not giving any excuses whatsoever."

Just because Catoe isn't giving any excuses doesn't mean I agree with what he told us. But did I believe him? I really think so. At least for 90% of what he said, I believed him. And while that may not sound like a compliment, I personally think it's rather significant given the many missteps, incorrect statements and seemingly completely misleading reports that have come from WMATA over the last year, including several from Catoe himself immediately following the June accident.



One of the first questions from the group was a request for his personal opinion on which option should be pursued in the closing of the $40m budget gap. Just as he started, he stopped himself, noting that he's learned that any opinion of his becomes a public WMATA statement, pre-fixed in the media with, as he put it, "head of Metro said..." This comment quickly drew a head nod and a "mmm hmmm" from the media relations employee sitting off to his left in the background. I'm guessing she's had a messy job. Catoe doesn't want to be seen as superseding the board when it comes to the budget decision. While he definitely has a mind-full of opinions, he wouldn't share them on this specific situation. Although following the specific question of his personal opinion on the best option to close the gap, he opened up even further and never again mentioned that he couldn't comment on something.

John Catoe sat there for 80+ minutes (the meeting was scheduled for 60), taking question after question and thoroughly explaining his thoughts on each to a group of people that included Dave from why.i.hate.dc, who heavily promoted the "Remove John Catoe" petition, among others. He was often interrupted while giving his answers, but he handled the whole thing in a very cool and calm manner. Tom, from We Love DC, directly told the GM that followers on Twitter were writing to say "Please let him know that I think that he's doing a horrible job." Catoe's response to this was simply "OK". But it wasn't an "OK" in a "let's move on, I don't give a crap" kind of way. It was actually an "OK" in a sobering, maybe even taken to heart kind of way that included a solemn pause and stare. A few questions later, Catoe was asked if he rides Metro - the question we all wonder from time to time. "I have always ridden Metro regularly," he said. He also commented on how he personally knows just how frustrated riders are. How? He hears it from them face to face on the trains - and that has increased significantly in the last year. He sure heard it from us, as well.



As we moved on from high-level questions and started to get into more pointed and personal questions for Catoe, his face and voice started to reveal the reality that comes with his job. He never lost his cool and never became up-tight, but his facial expressions and his answers confirmed what we already knew. Perhaps it was most succinctly summed up when a representative for Unsuck DC Metro said, on his way out, "I don't envy your job." To which Catoe quickly, but without expression, replied

"I don't either."

The session was time well spent and, as I said in my previous post, Metro deserves praise for conducting this. As you can tell from my article here, I was impressed with John Catoe. Much more so than I expected, and far more so than I have ever been when watching him at press conferences or giving statements to the media. He was very real. Unfortunately, none of this matters unless Metro starts to turn its safety and reliability (and the corresponding public perception of each) around immediately. Were any problems fixed last night? Nope. Is metro safer, more reliable and better funded this morning? Not really. But a step is a step.

And since I'm sure the 10 other bloggers from the session last night will be writing up all of the details of what was discussed and how it bodes for the future of WMATA, I wanted to focus on the man we all seriously question but know little about. My praise for Catoe does not buy him a pass in any size, shape or form. He is still accountable for this deteriorating and increasingly disappointing system. I will continue to criticize whenever appropriate. But to sum up these 80 minutes, I had to write something different. For John Catoe, much to my surprise, is human.