Mayor Brandon Johnson's transportation chief departing City Hall
Carney, a longtime CDOT veteran who Johnson appointed to lead the department in December 2023, told colleagues on Friday that he will be leaving City Hall, Johnson press secretary Cassio Mendoza confirmed Friday afternoon.
His departure follows several other high-profile exits in the Johnson administration this year — and comes before the annual NASCAR Chicago Street Race arrives in Grant Park during the Fourth of July weekend.
His last day will be July 3, according to an internal message Friday afternoon that was obtained by the Tribune.
'Today, I am writing to inform you that I have decided to resign my position as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT),' Carney wrote. 'After much reflection, I have determined that the demands of the CDOT Commissioner position are no longer compatible with the significant needs of my family and other personal matters.'
The city's Transportation Department oversees more than 4,000 miles of streets; streetlights, bridges and intersections; more than 400 miles of bike lanes and trails; and the partnerships that operate the Divvy bike-share system and the city's e-scooters. As commissioner and, before that, in other CDOT leadership roles, Carney also fielded increasing concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety.
Before his appointment, Carney had been acting commissioner for months after Gia Biagi, his predecessor under Mayor Lori Lightfoot, stepped down in August 2023. Before that, he worked in several roles at CDOT, including as first deputy commissioner, managing deputy commissioner for operations and deputy commissioner in the in-house construction division, and was again acting commissioner in 2019 before Biagi was appointed.
Under Johnson, Carney also helped move ahead a long-running idea to revamp north DuSable Lake Shore Drive, although the plan put forth by the Illinois and Chicago departments of transportation is still likely years away from fruition. It has also met pushback from transportation advocates who say the rebuild amounts to maintaining the status quo and doesn't go far enough to promote transit, biking and walking, or to address climate goals.
The mayor kicked off 2025 by teasing a purge of officials in his administration who he felt were insufficiently loyal. During a 'Faith in Government Tour' panel in early February, Johnson said he should have 'cleaned house faster' when it came to holdover City Hall staffers who did not 'agree with (him) 100%' when he first became mayor.
'If you ain't with us, you just gotta go,' Johnson said. 'I'm in a position now where I'll be making some decisions in the days to come, because playing nice with other people who ain't about us, it's just a waste of exercise.'
Around then, Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee and Park District Superintendent Rosa Escareno both stepped down and were replaced by allies of the mayor.
Others in the mayor's team who left the administration include deputy mayor for labor Bridget Early, chief strategist Joe Calvello, Office of Emergency Management & Communications head Jose Tirado and Chief Operating Officer John Roberson. But their exits were not believed to be related to Johnson's comments.
Roberson, who has been in the mayor's inner circle from the start of his term, had announced earlier this month he will leave City Hall to join the Obama Foundation, after weeks of speculation over his potential appointment to CTA president, a role that still remains vacant.
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