Gov. Quinn appoints task force to overhaul transit in northeastern Illinois

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn ordered last week that the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force be formed to overhaul the region's transit system to better serve riders.

The task force will be an independent panel of transit, finance and "good government" leaders who will issue recommendations to reform the region's mass transit system, Quinn administration officials said in a press release. The 15-member panel has been charged with developing ways to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, and streamline operations to ensure improved service.

"It's clear that the mass transit system in northeastern Illinois is not working for taxpayers," said Quinn. "This task force is a step forward to make our transit system worthy of the public's trust."

The panel's members include Co-chair George Ranney Jr., president and chief executive officer of Metropolis Strategies; Co-chair Ann Schneider, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation; Carole Brown, managing director at Barclay's Capital; former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald; Robert Guy, Illinois state legislative director for the United Transportation Union; Adrienne Holloway, assistant professor at DePaul University; Sylvia Jenkins, president of Moraine Valley Community College; Nick Palmer, chief of staff for the Will County executive; and Tony Paulauski, executive director of The Arc of Illinois.

Other members include Raul Raymundo, executive director of the Resurrection Project; Robert Reiter Jr., secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor; Ashish Sen, a member of the Chicago Transit Authority's board; retired teacher Don Tantillo; Kathryn Tholin, CEO of Center for Neighborhood Technology; and Sonia Walwyn, vice president of Duff & Phelps L.L.C.