Originally published in the Daily Herald, August 31, 2020. 

A state regulator's ruling the Illinois tollway acted illegally and mishandled two unsuccessful bids for construction projects was "unfair" and unreasonable, an attorney for the agency argued at a state Senate Transportation Committee hearing Thursday.

The pushback puts the tollway at odds with Illinois Chief Procurement Officer for General Services Ellen Daley, who in July found the agency didn't properly notify Walsh Construction Co. and Lorig Construction Co. their bids fell short on two separate construction projects worth more than $70 million.

Daley's conclusions that the agency had undermined "the integrity of the procurement process" prompted state Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines to request a Senate hearing after the Daily Herald reported on the issue.

Tollway attorney Kathleen Pasulka-Brown said at the hearing the two contractors lost the bids because they failed to meet diversity goals and were given plenty of notice.

"(Daley's) determination was unfair, and it's also inconsistent with her finding the tollway did not act in bad faith," Pasulka-Brown said. "Finding the tollway did not act in bad faith should have let her conclude the tollway did not engage in an illegal act."

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Originally published in the Daily Herald, August 31, 2020.

As Metra strives to recapture riders wary of commuting during a pandemic, the railroad faces COVID-19 fallout on other fronts -- no money, picketing workers, Illinois Senate scrutiny and balking conductors on Union Pacific lines.

Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance Workers Employee Division of the Teamsters brought their work safety grievances to Metra directors' homes this summer. It resulted in one encounter where union officials say they were threatened with a firearm, although police dispute those claims. The employees, who fix tracks, structures and stations, want Metra to offer COVID-19 testing and regular temperature checks. Thirty union members have tested positive for COVID-19 and one worker died of the virus, Metra confirms. Even with masks, workers are anxious about close conditions, such as driving four to a truck en route to jobs, Teamsters representative Nick Manojlovic said.

"No one wants to go to work and bring that (virus) home to our families," Manojlovic said.

The union and Metra are currently negotiating a contract. Things got messy at Director Ken Koehler's house in Crystal Lake Aug. 6, when a crowd of Teamsters materialized with signs and a bullhorn. According to Manojlovic, Koehler at one point intimidated protesters by displaying a pistol and saying, "I'm armed."

But "that is absolutely not true," countered Koehler, who has a concealed carry license. His firearm "never left the holster," he said. "I did not display it, I did not try to agitate anyone."

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CHICAGO – State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, was pleased to see the Illinois Department of Transportation announce their vote to establish a standing diversity committee, in conjunction with the other member agencies of the Mid-American Association of State Transportation Agencies. 

This announcement came shortly after Villivalam and the Senate Transportation Committee held a hearing centered on increased transparency, diversity, and equity at IDOT.

“Transportation agencies are major job creators here in Illinois,” Villivalam said. “Not only do our workforces and workplaces need to follow diversity and inclusion guidelines, they need to be fair and representative of the communities they serve.”   

The new committee is designed to allow member agencies to learn from one another on diversity issues and other shared transportation challenges, as well as to share information and strategies among member states on issues of diversity and inclusion. 

The purpose of the effort, spearheaded by the Mid-America Association of State Transportation Officials, is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated and balanced transportation system that will best serve the needs of its member states. 

MAASTO is affiliated with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and its member states include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

More information about MAASTO and its new initiative can be found at www.maasto.net. 

CHICAGO – State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, led a virtual hearing focused on how the Illinois Department of Transportation chooses which projects to fund. He and other members of the committee believe that transparency and equity must guide the IDOT project selection process.

“The state spends billions of taxpayer dollars on roads, bridges, and mass transit construction and repair,” Villivalam said. “The people of Illinois deserve to understand how, why, and where that money is spent. The decisions have to be equitable and transparent. It was great to hear that IDOT Secretary Osman and a number of stakeholders are committed to doing just that.” 

The committee heard testimony from IDOT, labor unions involved in the construction process, industry leaders, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the Transportation Equity Network. 

“This conversation isn’t over,” Villivalam said. “Transportation is a large part of Illinois’ economy – we’re the crossroads of the nation. Making sure our horizontal construction and repair process truly and fairly serves the needs of our people and commerce is vital to our future.”

Villivalam called the meeting of the committee after hearing from residents and officials who questioned how IDOT chooses which projects to fund. He also heard from the members of the committee as to their need to better understand why projects that have been approved for funding sometimes take years to complete – often with little sign of progress.

Villivalam, the committee and stakeholders are committed to ensuring the project selection process becomes more transparent and equitable, including legislative changes, if needed.