Illinois Democrats last week saved the Chicago Transit Authority from drastic cuts, and Mayor Brandon Johnson from taking further heat from public transportation advocates — but they permanently took his hand off the throttle in the process.

As state lawmakers raced against the clock to pass a sweeping $1.5 billion plan to overhaul regional mass transportation, the mayor’s office lost control over the CTA board. That board will itself cede some authority over one of the nation’s largest transit agencies, which will now be overseen by a new, more powerful body that will govern transit throughout the entire Chicago region.

Johnson and his allies say that’s a worthwhile price to pay to keep CTA trains chugging along. During a sitdown with the Tribune last week, the mayor cast the shift as

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