TIPOFF MTA'S NO. 2 BEING WOOED BY ATLANTA TRANSIT OFFICIALS.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

John Catoe, the second-in-command at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is being courted by officials in Atlanta, who want the well- liked executive for the top job at their Metropolitan Rapid Transportation Agency.

Catoe, 58, is one of two candidates being considered to run the country's ninth-largest transit system. But Catoe -- who has won favor among the MTA board and its unions -- has kept quiet about the possibility of moving to the Peach State.

Considered a charming and savvy executive, Catoe had been the behind-the-scenes broker in negotiating bus driver and mechanics union contracts this summer. And he's also been an innovator championing Metro Connections -- a revamping of the bus routes that is expected to be rolled out over the coming years.

Insiders say his loss would be a blow to the financially struggling agency and leave a gap difficult to replace.

The drumbeats are starting again, with the NFL sounding off about the possible return of professional football to Los Angeles.

Just don't expect a decision anytime soon.

National Football League owners are scheduled to meet next month in New Orleans to discuss -- again -- the Los Angeles situation and to decide -- again -- to delay a vote.

The Sports Business Journal said new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to tell the owners the new deadline for bringing football back to Los Angeles is 2011, not 2010 as previously discussed.

The deadline is important because the NFL hopes to have a team in Los Angeles by 2016 so it can hold its 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl in the city where it all began.

The lack of immediate urgency is based, in part, on a recent survey showing that the NFL retains a strong base of fan support in the Los Angeles area, even though the city hasn't had a team for 11 years.

Pollster Max Muhleman found that 65 percent of local residents believe it is important to have professional football back in Los Angeles, and 57 percent said they would buy tickets to an NFL game.

At the same time, the poll found that residents still oppose use of taxpayer money to build or renovate a stadium to entice a team to move to the city.

NFL owners have been reluctant to make a decision on Los Angeles, concerned about the spiraling costs -- now estimated at $850 million -- for stadium construction in addition to the costs of locating a team in the city.

If there were any doubts about the viability and potential clout of neighborhood councils, the battle over Proposition R should have put them to rest.

It was leaders of neighborhood councils who directed the assault against the measure, which would give City Council members a third four-year term in office. The resulting court battle emboldened them and will serve as a focal point for the neighborhood councils to rally around in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 election.

As the debate over Proposition R continues, the issue and the way it was handled contain valuable lessons.

City officials should have learned that efforts to short-circuit the process should be undertaken only with great risk.

And neighborhood councils should realize that if they are given the direct authority they seek and become part of City Hall, they will no longer be able to criticize it.

Friends of Assemblyman Keith Richman are getting together Sept. 30 for a barbecue fundraiser to help pay off his $80,000 campaign debt from his unsuccessful race for state treasurer.

``I haven't made any calls to anyone for this and I have agreed to show up, but that's about it,'' said Richman, R-Granada Hills, who is being forced from office because of term limits.

The fundraiser will be held at the Simi Valley home of longtime supporters Greg and Lisa Baker, with tickets running from $100 to $2,500.

Daily News Staff Writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report.

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

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