Urge your leaders to appoint bold leaders to the NITA Board

Last year, you fought with us to save public transit, and now it's time for the Mayor and City Council to appoint people to the new NITA Board, who need to be seated by September 1st to ensure that Chicago is represented as the board begins to make critical decisions about the future of transit.

Unfortunately, one name that the Mayor has selected for the NITA board stands out as an inappropriate choice. Lester Barclay is the current chair of the Chicago Transit Board, and his leadership spanned the pandemic, where riders saw on full display what a lack of oversight means for their day-to-day: ghost buses and trains, long waits, and problems ignored until they become longstanding crises. In response to Chairman Barclay's refusal to hold former CTA leadership accountable, City Council was forced to step in and conduct its own oversight.

Ultimately, the reforms in NITA are only as good as those who will implement them, and it's critical that the board consists of members who believe in the future that advocates, community members, and Illinois lawmakers fought so hard to win in 2025.

Take a moment and email your alderperson, urging them to take these board appointments seriously, and to reconsider the appointment of Lester Barclay.

Email Your Legislator

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Dear [your legislator],

Last year, our communities fought hard to save public transit from collapse, and what resulted was new funding and bold reforms through the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority. Now, it's time for City Council to appoint bold leaders to the NITA board who believe in the vision for better service, better connectivity, and better integrating CTA, Pace, and Metra.

Unfortunately, one name sticks out in Mayor Johnson's appointments to the NITA board. Lester Barclay, current chair of the Chicago Transit Board is known for leading the board in the throes of the pandemic, where riders were left stranded. His refusal to conduct oversight of former CTA leadership left the agency unaccountable to the needs of riders, and ultimately City Council had to step in to conduct its own oversight instead. He has consistently shown a lack of interest in improving service reliability and frequency, a key priority of riders.

And after the passage of the NITA Act, he has publicly criticized the reforms that are meant to make our systems better connected, eliminate silos between our agencies, provide more frequent, reliable, and accessible service – and most importantly, provide real accountability to riders.

I urge you to ask the Mayor to reconsider.

Ultimately, the reforms in NITA are only as good as those who will implement them, and it's critical that the board consists of members who believe in the future that community members, advocates, and Illinois lawmakers fought so hard to win in 2025. Transit riders deserve NITA board members who ride the system, who understand and listen to their concerns, and who are going to get on board the NITA train to deliver the regional transit system that we know is possible.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]