Dupage Policy Journal

Regional Transportation Authority Chairman Kirk Dillard has joined the transition committee for Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.

Dillard is a surprise pick given his deep connections to the state’s Republican Party and Johnson has a history as a radical union organizer who has once vowed to defund the city’s police department.

He is the former chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party and previously a Republican member of the state Senate for the 24th District for 20 years.

Dillard also previously served as chief of staff to former Gov. Jim Edgar and as legislative director to former Gov. James Thompson.

Dillard has served as president of the Regional Transit Authority since 2014.

“Chairman Dillard and the RT Board oversee the nation's second-largest public transportation system, which serves more than 8 million residents in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties," according to the RTA’s website. "The Authority is charged with regional financial oversight, funding, and transit planning for Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace Suburban Bus and ADA Paratransit. The RTA manages a regional transit operating budget of approximately $3 billion with assets of about $160 billion and a more than $8.3 billion five-year capital program."

In addition to his work for the RTA, he also serves as a partner at law firm Locke and Lord LLP.

Dillard is joined by Transportation Committee Subcommittee co-chairs state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), who challenged Johnson in the mayoral race, and Roberto Requejo, the program director for Elevated Chicago, which is described as a “collaborative effort that unlocks the potential of transit stations to promote racial equity.”

The RTA in recent years has seen a spike in violent crime and subsequently decreased ridership. In 2022, the crime rate on RTA’s trains and buses was 6.2 violent crimes for every 1 million rides. In 2021, the crime rate was 6.8 per 1 million rides.

Those rates of violent crimes were the most in more than a decade, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The number of violent crimes has steadily increased since 2019 after dropping to 1.5 violent crimes per million rides in 2015.

“I’ve long said that in order to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, we need everyone who can help at the table, and that’s what’s reflected in these appointments,” Johnson said in a press release. “This group of extraordinary leaders reflects the diversity and vibrancy of our city and will help lay the foundation for the work of our administration. I look forward to hearing from our transition committee and subcommittee chairs as we establish our policy priorities for the next four years and beyond.”