Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson didn't conduct formal national search for CTA head despite claiming otherwise, records show
The CTA has been without a permanent leader since embattled former president Dorval Carter stepped down earlier this year under pressure from lawmakers and transit activists who had long called for his removal. Last month, Johnson told local news site Block Club Chicago that his office had undertaken a national search for a new CTA head, something transit advocates had pushed for in the wake of Carter's resignation.
"We were always in the process of finding someone," Johnson told Block Club at the time. "It looked like any other national search." Johnson told Block Club the search had already been completed.
But Freedom of Information Act requests filed by the Tribune failed to reveal records that demonstrated the city has undertaken a thorough or formalized search of any kind.
The Tribune submitted Freedom of Information Act requests for records related to the search to three city departments: the mayor's office, the law department and the department of procurement services.
All three departments told the Tribune they possessed no records of any contracts the city held with search firms involved in vetting candidates, nor invoices from such search firms, resumes of candidates who had been in the running for the job or reports on the search process.
In a statement, Cassio Mendoza, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the administration had "looked at" candidates who are current leaders of mass transit agencies.
"To maintain the integrity of the process and out of respect for their privacy, we are declining to share the names of specific candidates," Mendoza said.
"The Johnson administration continues to believe in the importance of public transit for our city and our region," he said. "We will continue to work to find the most qualified and capable leader for this critical position."
The mayor's office said it reached out to three leaders of agencies across the country but none were interested in doing a formal interview for the position. The administration said substandard CEO pay, uncertainty surrounding transit funding in Springfield and what it described as "hostile" media treatment were barriers to attracting further interest in the position.
The Tribune submitted FOIA requests following a similar request made by transit advocate and environmental policy analyst Nik Hunder.
In an email to the Tribune, Hunder said it was "puzzling that the Mayor's office felt the need to misrepresent the progress it had made on finding a new leader for CTA."
"It took me under 5 minutes to submit the FOIA request for these records and to unintentionally prove that the Mayor and his staff did not do as they said," Hunder said.
Johnson's claim that his office had undertaken a national search for a new leader came as he faced scrutiny over rumors he planned to appoint his chief operating officer, John Roberson, to lead the agency.
Roberson has since taken a job at the Obama Foundation, putting an end to speculation that he would be appointed to lead the CTA.
Before Roberson's new job became public last week, his rumored appointment was criticized heavily by transit activists, who called for a thorough, nationwide search for a new CTA head whom they hoped would have experience leading a mass transit agency.
At the CTA's board meeting last month, three of the agency's seven board members had said they too supported a more thorough search, indicating Johnson would have faced opposition in getting Roberson confirmed had he nominated him for the job.
At the same meeting, 17th Ward Ald. David Moore, for whom Roberson had worked as a chief of staff, spoke in support of Roberson, warning CTA board members to "work with the mayor who put you here" and "don't be a backbiting snake."
Only two of the board's seven members were appointed by Johnson. The others were appointed either by former mayor Lori Lightfoot or Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Whomever is ultimately appointed to helm the CTA will be tasked with leading an agency that is facing the possibility of making drastic service cuts next year because state lawmakers adjourned their spring legislative session without passing funding to avert a looming $771 million transit fiscal cliff.
There is still time for the legislators to allocate more funding for transit before the end of the year, but should they fail to, the CTA could be forced to cut more than half its bus routes and eliminate service on whole branches of "L" lines.
The agency is currently led by an acting president, Nora Leerhsen, who was Carter's chief of staff before he resigned.
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