Regional Transportation Authority board chair Kirk Dillard made it clear in a letter sent to transit officials this week: Any changes to executive leadership at the CTA now need the okay from Illinois’s brand-new transit governing body.
It’s not clear if Chicago’s mayor, who last month directed the CTA’s board of directors to “move expeditiously to finalize the selection of a permanent President,” is on board.
Dillard’s note, sent Monday to the board chairs of the region’s three major transit agencies, lays out his expectations for the CTA, Metra and Pace as the Chicago region begins a massive overhaul of its public transportation systems.
Landmark legislation that restructures the governing bodies of the CTA, Metra and Pace — and provides more than $1 billion in annual funding for public transit — took effect last week. The law creates the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which lawmakers intend to be a more powerful version of the RTA.
Amongst other changes, the new law dilutes some of the influence the mayor of Chicago has over the executive appointment process at the CTA, which has been led for more than a year by an acting president, Nora Leerhsen.
Dillard’s letter contains what appears to be a veiled warning shot at Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson: No appointing a permanent CTA leader without the buy-in of the new NITA governing body.
“Any Executive Director appointments or replacements now require advice and consent of the NITA board that is yet to be seated. Further, the NITA Act requires an executive search process to be followed,” Dillard wrote in his letter.
It’s not clear whether Chicago’s mayor is on board.
Mayoral spokesperson Allison Novelo did not directly answer a question about whether the mayor agreed with Dillard’s note on the executive appointment process.
“As the region transitions to the governance structure established under the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act, the existing governance framework of the service boards remain in place,” she said in a statement.
“We welcome the opportunity to strengthen coordination across the region’s transit agencies in support of a more connected, reliable, and rider-focused transit system for riders across Chicago and the region,” Novelo said.
Novelo did not confirm or deny whether the mayor believed a CTA presidential appointment would now need approval from NITA.
The transit legislation requires the new NITA board to give its “advice and consent” for the appointment of any new CTA leader. The law also requires the NITA board chair and executive director to be included in any search process for an executive.
Though the law took effect last week, the transit agencies are in a bit of limbo until Sept. 1, when the terms of board members for all four transit agencies expire and new members are expected to be seated. The RTA is operating under its current name until Sept. 1.
“During this time of transition before new members are seated at the four agencies, the executive leadership will continue to operate in an interim capacity,” wrote Dillard, whose board term is also set to expire Sept. 1.
In a phone call Wednesday, Dillard said he wrote the letter to keep an open line of communication with his fellow board chairmen and to ensure a “smooth, successful transition” to the new NITA governance structure.
Dillard also said he wanted to discourage any “rash” decisions related to major hiring choices, including both executive and other senior leadership.
The mayor, who has allowed the CTA to be led on an interim basis for more than a year, made a last-minute push for a permanent appointment weeks before the transit law took effect.
On May 7, Johnson wrote a letter to CTA board chair Lester Barclay, directing the transit board to finalize the selection of a candidate.
“This should include prompt commencement of interviews with finalists, including the Acting President, before submitting the Board’s recommended candidate to my office for final consideration,” Johnson wrote.
Johnson cited the impending NITA deadline in his letter, saying it was “vital” for the CTA to “enter this new era with dedicated, permanent leadership.”
The CTA’s board has thus far not taken the mayor up on his ask, at least publicly.
The board did not publicly discuss any executive search at either its May or June board meetings, although members did meet in relatively lengthy closed sessions at both meetings. During the June meeting Wednesday, board members met in closed session for over an hour.
The mayor has appointed three of the board’s seven current members.
Even under the current paradigm, the mayor has struggled to exercise control over the executive appointment process at the CTA.
CTA board chair Lester Barclay, who was appointed by former mayor Lori Lightfoot, also did not directly answer a question about whether he agreed with Dillard’s note.
“The NITA law provides for the Chicago Transit Board to exercise its governance responsibilities to the CTA,” Barclay said in a statement.
“As Chair of this sitting board, I am committed to working collaboratively with our regional partners as the new NITA structure is established during the transition period, while also upholding my governance responsibilities to the CTA to ensure our agency is providing safe, reliable and accessible service to our riders.”
Dillard’s Monday note was largely focused on guidelines for how the transit agencies should operate during the transition process.
For instance, he directed transit agencies to notify the RTA if they intend to hire for certain high-level positions. They should cooperate with a new law enforcement task force to be led by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, he wrote. And they should notify the RTA of any competitive grant applications before they apply.
Dillard also told the agencies they should coordinate any changes in service to help passengers transfer between transit systems, such as between a Metra train and a Pace bus.
In a statement, Metra board chair Joseph McMahon said the commuter rail agency “look[s] forward to working with and fully cooperating with RTA/NITA throughout this transition period to deliver what the public expects.”
Pace declined to comment.
