McConnaughay Letter: Kane Metra Representative Should Resign

Editor's note: This is a letter from Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay to County Board members, and copy of which was sent to local media Monday afternoon. For background, there are some terrific stories by Marni Pyke of the Daily Herald, which you can read here and here. Kane's representative on the Metra board is Caryl Van Overmeiren.

It has been over a year since the significant financial improprieties by the former (and deceased) Metra executive director were revealed. The ensuing and continued fallout from the ongoing investigation into these actions has left the Metra Board embattled and entrenched.

In the past few months, I have come to the conclusion that the future success of Metra would be best served by the resignation of the entire board. I have strongly advocated and discussed this with the Kane County appointee and with the elected officials who hold appointing authority in the surrounding counties.

There is no statutory provision for the removal of the Board of Directors. To that end, I have asked our own Kane County appointee to consider the future viability of the suburban transportation system and tender her resignation. To date, the Metra Chair/DuPage appointee is the only one to have voluntarily resigned.

Therefore, I believe that we must take proactive steps to reassess our Kane County representation on the Metra Board, not only during this time of crisis but for the future viability of the Metra system.

Today, I am announcing the formation of a task force made up of County Board members who serve on the transportation committee and represent communities which host Metra services. The responsibilities of the committee, which I will chair, include:

1) Review the responsibilities of the Metra Board of Directors and develop appropriate criteria for consideration of appointment;

2) Facilitate countywide search effort, accepting applications from qualified Kane County residents;

3) Interview and recommend the best qualified individual to represent Kane County’s interests on the Metra Board.

As the statutory appointing authority, I will appoint an individual, with the advice and consent of the County Board, at the first available opportunity. Please feel free to call me with any questions or thoughts you might have on this issue.

Transportation Task Force Group on METRA Appointment:

• Mike Donahue, Geneva
• Drew Frasz, Elburn
• Cathy Hurlbut, Elgin
• Jesse Vazquez, Aurora