CHICAGO — West Side pastor Ira J. Acree is taking his name out of consideration for an influential transit board seat, saying those critical of his lack of professional experience for the role are “opponents of African American empowerment.”
Acree had been appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson to serve on the board of the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees CTA, Pace and Metra.
Acree had a bumpy ride through a preliminary hearing about his appointment with the City Council’s Transportation and Public Way Committee this month, leaving some alderpeople wondering why Johnson hadn’t put forth a candidate with a career in transit.
Acree, an infrequent CTA rider by his own admission, said at the time he hadn’t spoken directly with Johnson about the position because the mayor has “bigger fish to fry.” When asked about local transit’s impending $730 million fiscal cliff, Acree said it was his “first time hearing about it.”
The committee approved Acree’s appointment anyway, with only Alds. Andre Vasquez (40th) and Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) casting dissenting votes. But Acree’s final appointment, requiring approval from the entire City Council, was withheld by the Johnson administration at a Wednesday meeting.
“There are forces that have opposed my nomination from the moment the mayor submitted my name,” Acree said in a statement issued Friday. “Ridiculing me or fighting my appointment is an egregious level of disrespect to the wonderful people of my city and particularly my community. These opponents of African American empowerment are on the City Council and have to be confronted and addressed.”
Johnson sidestepped a question about Acree’s delay during a Wednesday press conference.
“People who are closest to the neighborhoods that ultimately rely on public accommodations, these are the people that we have to put forward. … We are batting 1.000,” Johnson said. “We’re going to give people more time to be able to have inquiry.”
At an unrelated press conference Friday, Johnson said he did not ask Acree to bow out of the board seat following public pressure.
“Again, this is also more of a reflection of how my administration works hard to get it right. Every single appointment that we put forward, the brilliance, the expertise, the experiences that they have,” Johnson said. “We’re going to continue to seek out people who want to serve this city.”
Acree’s nomination debacle comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over the handling of transit oversight in Chicago.
Out of more than 50 appointments to the CTA board over the past 40 years, only three were transportation experts, while most seats were reserved as plum positions for politically connected people, Block Club previously revealed.
Last month, another politically connected pastor was appointed to the CTA board.
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The CTA’s slow pandemic recovery has led Vasquez and a majority of alderpeople to sign onto a resolution calling for the firing or resignation of CTA President Dorval Carter. Gov. JB Pritzker has called for an “evolution” of leadership at the CTA, and state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would merge the city’s transit agencies, effectively stripping the CTA of mayoral control.
Acree, a longtime pastor and community organizer at Austin’s Greater St. John Bible Church who has frequently been vocal on civil rights issues, did not pull punches in his statement announcing his withdrawal from the RTA board appointment.
He called questions from alderpeople about Carter’s future “ridiculous” and “political puppeteering” and slammed Vasquez, saying his “previous job was a local rapper.” Vasquez had previously been under fire after old clips of him battle rapping were surfaced by an opposing candidate in his first campaign.
“If this were the new standard, we would have to vacate the housing board, education board, zoning board, and even the vaunted and sacred city council, as most members of this legislative body come from varied backgrounds,” Acree said in the statement.
Vasquez said he didn’t “hold up” Acree’s appointment and had only grown critical of Johnson’s latest pick given the mayor had previously appointed another pastor to the CTA board.
“I think he [Acree] has a point about wanting to have folks from community, folks who learn while they do the role, I’m not in disagreement with that,” Vasquez said. “But in a moment where our CTA system is not where it needs to be, we’re calling into question the CTA President, we do have to look more closely for folks who have more experience for this particular position.”
Acree defended his ridership record, saying he took the Green Line to his hearing and rides it most of the time he comes Downtown.
“I am a student of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., didn’t need to be a regular rider of the Montgomery Transit System to effectively ead [sic] the Montgomery Bus Boycott,” Acree said. “The people needed leadership — someone who could organize, advocate, and speak up for the public good.”
A handful of West and South side pastors, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, came to the preliminary hearing in support of Acree.
Acree backed Johnson in the mayoral election run-off, inviting him to speak as a candidate and later mayor-elect at his church, 1256 N. Waller Ave., in the Austin neighborhood where Johnson lives.
Last year, Acree sought to fill Johnson’s vacated seat on the Cook County board, but Democrats ultimately picked Tara Stamps, a former Chicago Teachers Union organizer and mentor to Johnson.
The five-year appointment to the RTA board pays $25,000 annually and requires members to attend a monthly meeting. The board is tasked with approving the annual budget, two-year financial plan and five-year capital plan that funds the three transit agencies.
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