Photo by Sanjay Suchak.

It’s hardly news to the enlightened readership of DCist that Ward 1 Councilman — and newly chosen WMATA chairman — Jim Graham rarely uses the service which he now holds so much sway over.

But, really, Councilman, it might be a good idea to take some time to bone up on the names of the stations in the agency you chair — this from Lena Sun’s scathing WaPo report this morning:

Graham said that last year he rode “on various occasions, both bus and rail.” His most recent bus trip was in December. Train? “Every time I went to a Nationals game, because it’s a direct shot from the Columbia Heights Metro to the uh,” he said, fumbling for the station name. An aide supplied it. “Right,” Graham said. “Navy Yard.”

Ladies and gentlemen, your new Chairman of Metro!

Most of the excuses provided by the Councilman (and other non-riding board members) are really poor. For example, Graham claims “night meetings make mass transit inconvenient.” Well, before they suggest eliminating such service, all of the board members might want to try it sometime. While this writer cannot attest to the apparently incredible time burdens involved in traveling to local government meetings late at night, I have been privy to meetings for the economic stimulation of many a local neighborhood tavern. Metro — whether it’s bus or rail — usually seems to work for me.

Oh, and for the record, Councilman, the Wilson Building is about a three or four block walk from both Metro Center and Federal Triangle. You may want to have one of your aides write those names down.

Even more depressingly, Sun reports that in this current time of budgetary struggle, many of the board’s twelve members have parking debts to WMATA that stretch back two and a half years. The bills have piled up when board members drive to Metro headquarters, which is no less than a stone’s throw away from both the Metro Center and Gallery Place-Chinatown stations. Graham told the Post that he wasn’t aware that he owed money and that he will pay.

In addition to Graham, Sun named Maryland representative Betty Hewlett, Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille, Deputy D.C. Mayor Neil O. Albert, and new D.C. Council member Michael Brown as board members who don’t use Metro. Should these public figures be subjected to the worst that Metro has to offer on a consistent basis? Not necessarily — we know they’re busy people, just like us. But it would be nice if the people that are slated with fixing Metro’s problems had a realistic grasp of what those problems are; the best way to do that is to use it.