Metro’s board considers tougher ethics rules

The recommendations were discussed last month by the Metro board’s governance committee. As The Post’s Mark Berman and Luz Lazo reported, some members hesitated to make wholesale changes, while others favored dealing with the issue before another problem presents itself. There’s no question, as some board members argued, that Metro governance has undergone major changes since July 2011, when the board adopted its first bylaws and strengthened its code of ethics. Among the welcome reforms was the bid to end micromanagement by board members, with delegation of day-to-day operations and business matters to Metro’s general manager and staff.

Nonetheless, further improvements are in order. An outside law firm had to be retained to review Mr. Graham’s actions because board members are not subject to scrutiny by the agency’s inspector general. That needs to be fixed, though it’s not clear that a separate, and possibly costly, ethics committee is the most desirable solution. Cadwalader’s report also asked whether the Metro board meets too frequently, encouraging a culture of meddling in daily operations, and whether the board should continue to include elected officials, whose local responsibilities may conflict with Metro duties. Both questions are worthy of review. It’s encouraging that the board, which spared no effort in getting to the bottom of the allegations surrounding Mr. Graham, seems to agree and plans to take up these issues when it meets in February.