CHARLOTTE — Charlotte leaders are preparing for a visit from FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro. Molinaro has been keeping a watchdog eye on Charlotte following the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on the light rail.
“What are your safety plans? What is your security spending? And what are the steps you’re going to take to ensure this type of tragedy doesn’t continue?” Molinaro said in an interview with Channel 9 last fall.
On Jan. 16, Molinaro will be able to ask those questions in person and ride on the same line when he visits Charlotte.
“He will be engaging with staff and there are several elements to his visit. One is a ride on the Blue Line and a second is a roundtable with staff and some members of the business community,” Interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said.
Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham says this is a great opportunity for Charlotte to show Molinaro the city is prioritizing safety.
“Hopefully it is a conversation about how we can help and he brings safety initiatives,” Graham said.
On Monday, Charlotte City Council will vote to give the newly formed MPTA more than $4 million to get the transit authority off the ground so the new 27 board can prepare for everything from legal services to insurance.
“It’s having a brand new car. The car looks good, smells good, the car doesn’t have any gas,” Graham said. “So what we are going to do is help them get started by putting some gas in their car so they can do some of the foundation building necessary so they can get off the ground and move forward.”
The FTA hasn’t commented on Molinaro’s visit or said when he will be riding the light rail. A spokesperson for CATS did not respond to a question asking for Molinaro’s itinerary.
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