Sunday, September 8, 2013
DuPage Metra Appointee - No Application Necessary
"We at DuPage County believe that sunshine is fundamental to government operations, and for that reason we have created the ACT Transparency Portal . "
"As
we intensify our efforts to transform local government under the DuPage
ACT Initiative, I invite you to submit an application to be part of the
Citizens Service Team. To open the application for appointment simply
click "Nominate yourself for a board/commission" on the top right side
of this page under Citizens Service Team."
The Chicago Tribune Reports:
In
DuPage County, Chairman Dan Cronin on Friday nominated former County
Board member John Zediker of Naperville, a prominent land developer with
a background in urban planning.
Although Cronin's spokeswoman said 30 people applied to replace Metra board member Paul Darley, Zediker said Cronin's office approached him about the position. "They asked me, would I be interested? I said sure," he said.
At
least three DuPage residents who applied for the post expressed
displeasure with the selection process. None were interviewed, they
said, adding they either didn't hear back from Cronin's office or got a
response after the chairman already had made his decision.
Cronin
did not respond to Tribune calls, but his spokeswoman defended the
process, saying all the applicants would get responses after Zediker's
expected confirmation by the County Board on Tuesday.
While
the nomination was praised by some Republican board members, including
Transportation Committee Chairman Donald Puchalski, two Democrats said
they thought the selection process was not open.
You can read the full story here.
You can find more information here, here and here.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Sunshine in Kane County - Overcast in DuPage
Yesterday the Chicago Tribune reported the following:
By Richard Wronski, Tribune reporter
Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen, who publicly solicited
applications from interested residents, released his “short list” Friday
of 11 candidates for a Metra board position and also for the county’s
vacant post on the Regional Transportation Authority.
More than 40 people had applied for both spots, he said.
The 11 are being reviewed by a four-member, bipartisan panel of
county board members, who will review applications and cut the pool to
three or four finalists.
On Monday, Lauzen is expected to select one Metra appointee and
one RTA appointee, and put the names before the county board at its
meeting Tuesday.
“We are making progress on a tight schedule,” Lauzen said Friday.
The eleven being considered for the RTA/METRA appointments are:
Manuel Barbosa; Donald DeWitte; Carl Dinwiddie; Edward Evert; Mary
Fleischmann; Joseph Galvan; Glen Holland; Bonnie Kunkel; D.J. Tegeler;
Bernard Thomas; and Jake Wyatt.
You can read the full story here.
The Chicago Tribune also reported:
Another DuPage County resident stepped forward today, complaining
that he asked last month to be considered for an appointment to Metra's
board but never heard back from County Chairman Dan Cronin, who plans to
name a fellow politician to the post.
Lombard resident Mike Corso said that as a 27-year Metra rider, he
was interested in applying for DuPage's vacant seat on Metra's board
because he was concerned about the quality and cost of service.
Corso, 48, who serves as a volunteer on Lombard's transportation
and safety committee, obtained a letter of recommendation from Lombard's
village president, and offered to forgo the $15,000 salary for Metra
board members.
Corso sent Cronin his letter Aug. 5, and Village President Keith
Giagnorio sent his letter of recommendation on Aug. 8, saying he had no
doubt that Corso "would serve with utmost professionalism and
commitment." But Corso said he got no response.Approximately 30 people
submitted applications for the Metra appointment, and "several" were
interviewed, Pardonnet said.
Anyone who applied but who did not get a response from Cronin should not feel slighted, she said.
"There is no guarantee of a callback," she said.
She compared the process to being interviewed for a job but not finding out the result until the final decision was made.
You can read the full story here.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Metra Appointment - Three's A Charm
From todays Chicago Tribune:
Another DuPage County resident stepped forward today,
complaining that he asked last month to be considered for an appointment
to Metra's board but never heard back from County Chairman Dan Cronin,
who plans to name a fellow politician to the post.
Lombard resident Mike Corso said that as a 27-year Metra rider, he was interested in applying for DuPage's vacant seat on Metra's board because he was concerned about the quality and cost of service.
Corso, 48, who serves as a volunteer on Lombard's transportation and safety committee, obtained a letter of recommendation from Lombard's village president, and offered to forgo the $15,000 salary for Metra board members.
You can find the full story here.
You can find more information here, here and here.
Lombard resident Mike Corso said that as a 27-year Metra rider, he was interested in applying for DuPage's vacant seat on Metra's board because he was concerned about the quality and cost of service.
Corso, 48, who serves as a volunteer on Lombard's transportation and safety committee, obtained a letter of recommendation from Lombard's village president, and offered to forgo the $15,000 salary for Metra board members.
You can find the full story here.
You can find more information here, here and here.
Will Mr. Swimmer and Mr. Corso be granted interview's after the fact as well?
How many other citizens took time to fill out an application only to be ignored?
DuPage Appointment Process Neither Transparent or Open
"We at DuPage County believe that sunshine is fundamental to government operations, and for that reason we have created the ACT Transparency Portal . "
"As
we intensify our efforts to transform local government under the DuPage
ACT Initiative, I invite you to submit an application to be part of the
Citizens Service Team. To open the application for appointment simply
click "Nominate yourself for a board/commission" on the top right side
of this page under Citizens Service Team."
The Chicago Tribune Reports:
DuPage
County Chairman Dan Cronin has selected a former County Board member to
fill a vacant seat on Metra's beleaguered board, bypassing at least two
residents who applied for the post but said they were not interviewed.
You can read the full story here.Thursday, September 5, 2013
Another Metra Applicant Ignored
"We at DuPage County believe that sunshine is fundamental to government operations, and for that reason we have created the ACT Transparency Portal . "
"As
we intensify our efforts to transform local government under the DuPage
ACT Initiative, I invite you to submit an application to be part of the
Citizens Service Team. To open the application for appointment simply
click "Nominate yourself for a board/commission" on the top right side
of this page under Citizens Service Team."
What a great opportunity. I see Metra as a much safer, better run, less in the news commuter railroad. For nearly 2 decades I have worked with some of Metra's employees, locomotive engineers, conductors, directors of safety, through my involvement with the DuPage Railroad Safety Council. They too want a railroad they can take pride in. I am a licensed CPA, have many insurance and securities licenses, a former Marine, etc. It is now over 2 weeks since I applied to be a Metra Board member because I believe I can help bring about positive change. I have yet to hear a word from DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin's office where I submitted my application. I am a fairly new Facebook user, but hear that it is a powerful tool. Can it help in my quest to be a Metra Board member? George Swimmer-Downers Grove
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
DUPAGE OFFICIALS GRANT METRA BOARD HOPEFUL INTERVIEW — AFTER SLOT WILL BE FILLED
Mary FitzGerald Ozog said she encountered an application process that so lacked “transparency” that she thinks transit board members should be elected.
However,
Ozog questioned why DuPage County Board officials didn’t publicly post
the opening and closing dates of their Metra application process, as
some other county officials have.
Her transit experience, Ozog said, includes working as a “planner” at both CTA and Metra
and visiting “99 percent” of Metra’s stations.
The
“top candidate” is “far superior to any other candidate who has
applied, has more relevant and recent transit experience, including
leadership roles” and “will have the confidence of the members of the
DuPage County Board,’’ Pardonnet said.
Well,
I am not so sure of that. It appears that the two citizens who applied
are very qualified and have working knowledge of Metra.
Will Mr. Swimmer be granted an interview after the fact as well?
How many other citizens took time to fill out an application only to be ignored?
For a transparent process The Daily Herald Reports:
With
Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen promising a more thorough
vetting of applicants, a four-member review panel was given the task
Wednesday of reviewing 41 applications by area residents seeking
appointments to the Metra and RTA boards.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
The Appointment Process
"We at DuPage County believe that sunshine is fundamental to government operations, and for that reason we have created the ACT Transparency Portal . "
"As
we intensify our efforts to transform local government under the DuPage
ACT Initiative, I invite you to submit an application to be part of the
Citizens Service Team. To open the application for appointment simply
click "Nominate yourself for a board/commission" on the top right side
of this page under Citizens Service Team."
You can fill out an application, but you won't be considered, read more here. Don't feel too bad, the DuPage County Board members are completely shut out of the process as well.
Board members do not know who or how many citizens applied
for the Metra vacancy. The only information the board receives is the
name and application of the individual the Chairman nominates.
For a transparent and open process check out the story in todays Daily Herald. Kudos to Kane County.
The Daily Herald Reports:
With
Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen promising a more thorough
vetting of applicants, a four-member review panel was given the task
Wednesday of reviewing 41 applications by area residents seeking
appointments to the Metra and RTA boards.
Lauzen called for an open application process, which ended Tuesday. He
received a total of 41 applications — 20 for one board and 21 for the
other.
"We got a group of applicants in that I think is just terrific," Lauzen
said. "If you go over these resumes, it makes you proud to be a resident
in Kane County. It's really an impressive group of folks."
A four-member, bipartisan panel of county board members will get the
first crack at narrowing the pool of applicants down to three or four
finalists. Lauzen will then select one Metra appointee and one RTA board
appointee from those finalists. The full county board must then take a
vote on whomever Lauzen selects.
You can read more here.Ethics 103 - Appointments to Boards
By reading the DuPage County website one would believe that the appointment process is open and fair.
"As
we intensify our efforts to transform local government under the DuPage
ACT Initiative, I invite you to submit an application to be part of the
Citizens Service Team. To open the application for appointment simply
click "Nominate yourself for a board/commission" on the top right side
of this page under Citizens Service Team."
From yesterday's Chicago Sun-Times :
DuPage officials grant Metra Board hopeful interview — after slot will be Filled
Mary FitzGerald Ozog said she encountered an application process that so lacked “transparency” that she thinks transit board members should be elected.
The
“top candidate” is “far superior to any other candidate who has
applied, has more relevant and recent transit experience, including
leadership roles” and “will have the confidence of the members of the
DuPage County Board,’’ Pardonnet said.
However,
Ozog questioned why DuPage County Board officials didn’t publicly post
the opening and closing dates of their Metra application process, as
some other county officials have.
Her transit experience, Ozog said, includes working as a “planner” at both CTA and Metra
and visiting “99 percent” of Metra’s stations.
Addressing
the Northeastern Illinois Transit Task Force, Ozog said she wrote the
office of DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin to apply for the vacant
Metra DuPage County seat the day after Paul Darley resigned it. The Chicago Sun-Times, reports.
You can read the rest of the story here.
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