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This just in… Kruesi out at CTA * Updated x1 *

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Illinois

This development is long overdue…

Chicago Transit Authority President Frank Kruesi is retiring, Mayor Richard Daley announced today.

The mayor’s chief of staff, Ron Huberman, a former police official, will take over the transit agency. […]

Kruesi has taken the brunt of rising public dissatisfaction with deteriorating CTA service. He has been a longtime political confidant of Daley, who appointed Kruesi as his transit czar 10 years ago to turn around the troubled transit agency.

There was no way the CTA was gonna get more money from Springfield as long as the inept, arrogant Kruesi was around. He spent big bucks to turn a few train stops into gleaming Taj Mahals, while ignoring serious infrastructure problems that have maddened commuters over the past several years.

Kruesi is the same guy that came close to screwing up Daley’s O’Hare expansion push at the Statehouse. I never could understand why Daley kept him on. Perhaps some of you could enlighten me.

Goodbye, Frank. Good riddance.

*** UPDATE *** Oy…

At Thursdayâ€™s news conference, Mr. Huberman said he had hands-on transportation experience because he drove a school bus for three years while in college

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 9:52 am

Comments

Rich seems to be saying good riddance to a lot of people lately.

Yeah I always thought Kruesi was a good CTA president, I figured some of the problems that have come up lately would be a problem. Although, I never saw him resigning. It’s safe to say that he’s had a good run.

Comment by Levois Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 9:59 am
===Rich seems to be saying good riddance to a lot of people lately.===

I noticed that too, lol.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:00 am
Daley and Kruesi go back to the ’70s during Daley’s time in Springfield. Their long-term association caused Daley to have a blind spot to Kruesi’s deficiencies. Kruesi’s abrasive manner offended even Chicago reps including Mike Madigan and Marlow Colvin. Kruesi’s termination was long overdue as Springfield was not going to help the CTA with him at the helm. Kruesi also played a role in the destruction of Meigs.

Comment by Tom Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:15 am
Frank is one of the brightest people you’ll ever meet, and the Mayor has a long history of surrounding himself with very smart people.

Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:21 am
Tom, Kruesi “played a role”? He WAS the destruction of Meigs. I agree with all of the other commenters - good riddance.

Comment by babs Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:23 am
Kruesi is an incompetent oaf. He’s had ten years at the helm of CTA, and what do we get for it? Half of the Blue Line is a slow zone! It used to take no more than 45 minutes to go from the Loop to O’Hare. Now, good luck getting there in 90.
He is the one who committed 25 million to this mega station debacle, 25 million which could have been used to actually fix the damn tracks. He’s the one whose lack of vision created the debacle that the red and brown line riders have to deal with every day for the next 2+ years.

All that Kreusi has done is oversee the complete collapse of the Chicago Transit Authority. He’s worthless, just like the man who hired him. I just wish that the incompetent oaf on the fifth floor would actually hire someone who is competent.

Comment by Jerry Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:28 am
With Kruesi’s departure, there’s no one left from the early years of the Daley administration. Frank was the last holdout. In place of a lot of talented and experienced veterans, the Mayor has surrounded himself with weak and passive managers.

It hasn’t hurt him politically, but it certainly has governmentally. Big projects like the Olympics and O’Hare mask the absence of day to day innovations in basic services that characterized the early and middle years of his reign.

Comment by Chicago guy Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:28 am
Kruesi married the mayor’s scheduler back in the day. A good way to see who is meeting with the mayor…

Remember Frank’s grand plan to re-number all of the bus routes when there were severe ridership problems? I’m surprised that the Mayor didn’t let him go then.

Frank is a very bright and calculating guy, many times people are thrown by his hiking boot, backpack and CTA tie appearance, not taking him seriously.

Unfortunately, he did some good things, but arrogance got the better of him.

Comment by Dieter Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:35 am
The man had ZERO credibility with legislators and became much more of a hindrance than a help to the CTA and the Mayor’s agenda. See yaaa

Comment by Not a moment too soon Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:36 am
Chicago Guy,
During those “early days” Little Dick was still a democrat. Now he’s just a laughable shill for big business and developers. His move from the neighborhood signalled a lot more than just a change of address.Frank didn’t ruin the CTA,Daley did. Just like he ruined the CPS,many neighborhoods and a lot of other things that used to be good in Chicago.
Anybody want to guess who will get the Olympic contracts?

Comment by Bill Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:40 am
Babs, I knew Kruesi was involved with Miegs but didn’t have time to research his exact role. Thanks for clarifying.

Ron Huberman is extremely talented but his lack of transit experience is a concern.

Comment by Tom Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:40 am
Good riddance to Frank!

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:45 am
schnorf, I love you dearly, but if Kruesi is so smart, why is the CTA so screwed up?

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:49 am
Rich said…..>”Kruesi is so smart, why is the CTA so screwed up?”

Let me try my best Ms. Nix impersonation.

‘It’s not Frank’s fault, Carole Brown screwed everything up.’

Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:00 am
If Kreusi is retiring — isn’t he stepping off into THE worst-off pension plan in the entire state? (And how much of that was of his OWN making?)

Ah, yes, the brave new world of Illinois pensions. Frank takes the Iron Parachute. Dontcha love it.

If the CTA retirement plan goes bust, just pay Kreusi out of operating funds, right?

Outta here.

Comment by Dooley Dudright Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:04 am
The CTA has the “supplemental” pension fund. Somehow I’m guessing Kruesi is in on that little racket.

And seeing as how Dickie Daley appointed both Kruesi AND Brown, as well as 3 other Board members, its still on Daley’s hands. Kruesi and Brown are incompetent, but Daley’s the one who’s responsible for giving them the power to be incompetent.

Comment by Jerry Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:12 am
There are a lot of smart people all over IL so there is not need for one with a defective personality gene to be in a position of importance
TTFN

Comment by Reddbyrd Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:14 am
Who’s next out the door? Isn’t the head of the chicago park district, Tim Mitchell, also an alum of the Meigs episode? As the owner of the Meigs island, he’s done nothing to make the citizens feel it was worth the effort.

Comment by RoseyB Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:19 am
Wow, Bill. Your vitriol for the mayor equals your delight with the governor. What gives?

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:26 am
Reddbyrd, “defective personality gene” is about the best description I’ve ever seen of Kruesi.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:27 am
Rich, that can’t be the same Bill.

Huberman might be able to apply some of his technical expertise to the CTA. However Daley should have gone outside his circle and interviewed top lieutenants from other big city transit authorities such as New York’s.

Comment by Tom Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:35 am
I like Huberman, but Richie should have brought in a world-class transportation administrator/planner. The CTA needs radically new thinking, not a few patches here and there.

Comment by Niles Township Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:42 am
Tom, it’s the same Bill we all know and love.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 11:43 am
Rich, I wouldn’t be so quick to say goodbye to Frank. He’ll return in another capacity and probably sooner than you might think. I agree with Schnorf.

Comment by Punley Dieter Finn Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:01 pm
You may be right, Punley Dieter Finn, but I’d ask you the same question that I asked Steve. If he’s so smart, why is the CTA so screwed up?

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:04 pm
Steve thought Jim Edgar was ” one of the brightest people you’ll ever meet”. You gotta consider the source.

Comment by Bill Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:05 pm
Bill,
Now, that boy - Jim ‘Its Not Gambling; It’s Horseracing’ Edgar - had a head of hair!

How would like to be Mayor Daley’s ‘best friend in the world’ which translates from the Bridgeportagian to something like ‘ get up there behind that humane;ly treated horse, going up there! Move, Buddy!’

Comment by Pat Hickey Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:09 pm
Thank god! Perhaps now they won’t hire an incompetent crony. We shall see, Daley has yet to shy away from this approach thus far. Didn’t we learn anything from FEMA and Mike Brown!

Comment by zmonteca Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:11 pm
Who’s going to replace Ron Huberman as Chief of Protecting Daley?

Comment by Jenna Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:14 pm
The CTA should be merged into the RTA. Can someone explain why we have multiple transit agencies instead of ONE metropolitan system since there’s 9 million people that need to move around it?

Comment by Jenna Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:16 pm
This change may be one side effect of the Olympic bid. The NY Times had a big story on how we have such a terrible transit system and with increased scrutiny on transporation, maybe Daley is trying to figure out how to change perception. Keep in mind I said PERCEPTION, not necessarily improve things.

Comment by Jenna Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:18 pm
Jenna, I’ll bet on Terry Peterson. I believe this was in the plans for months and Daley wanted to wait until after the runoffs. Peterson wouldn’t have resigned from the CHA unless he knew something else was coming.

Comment by Tom Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:19 pm
My sense is that Kruesi was always looking for a legacy for himself and the mayor rather than keeping the trains running on time. A couple of the grand proposals that don’t make sense are the new el line circling the greater loop and the express train from block 37 to Ohare.

As stated above, the Mayor bonded with Kruesi years ago when he served in the statehouse and developed a loyalty. I don’t think he minded that Kruesi was abrasive, in fact my sense is the mayor views abrasiveness as the sign of a strong leader.

Kruesi is smart and calculating and I’m sure has learned to “manage” the Mayor through the years. For instance, the rebuilding of el stations is largely related to ADA accessibility issues which is one of the Mayor’s pet causes.

The system still works (not as well, but ok) and there have been some improvements such as the Chicago Card during Kruesi’s administration. Additionally, a large number of issues were out of Kruesi’s control such as the need to improve accessibility, rising labor costs, the increased ridership on the Ravenswood line.

But ultimately, I think the pursuit of the grand legacy took too much time and resources away from the day-to-day.

Comment by Objective Dem Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:28 pm
Speaking of legacy projects, does Frank now turn up at the Olympic offices?

Comment by babs Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:45 pm
I see Kruesi resurfacing at O’Hare.

Comment by Tom Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:49 pm
…. with Olympic bid planning as one of his unofficial duties.

Comment by Tom Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 12:57 pm
It’s not all Chicago Transit Authority President Frank Kruesi fault, add Jack Hartman to that list.
He never had any trouble spending any of the CTA’s money. But then he was promoted to Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway again increasing staff to an alarming rate an then increasing tolls, now they are asking for another toll increase on the North - South Tollway I-355.
So how do these guys keep these plum jobs to waste taxpayers money?
Answer: The tag team of Blagojevich & Daley!

By the way Jack, are ya still hiding out at RISE Group? Gotten any calls from Patrick Fitzgerald yet?

Comment by Pay to Play Politics Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 1:00 pm
Jesus, it’s brutal out here today.

Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 1:05 pm
Maybe exiting Chicago Transit Authority President Frank Kruesi could replace Executive Director Brian J. McPartlin at the Illinois Tollway.
Actually, anyone would be a vast improvement!

Comment by Let's Fiesta Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 1:08 pm
You’ve got to be kidding me?!? Huberman has Public Transit experience due to driving a school bus?

Kinda like Brownie had emergency management experience from running the arabian horse association?

Guh. Cronyism at its worst. Pure and simple cronyism and patronage. God help us.

Comment by Jerry Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 1:51 pm
HEY,

â€œdefective personality geneâ€

One of my former friends basically said I had that.

Maybe I should try for a government job!

Comment by Irishpirate Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 2:00 pm
Speaking of gleaming Taj Mahals, how bout that Illinois Tollway central administration building in Downers Grove, Illinois. Blago vowed sell that building during his first term.
Guess now it’s not so bad after all, huh?
Illinois’s money machine keeps rolling along with no one to stop them.

Comment by Tea Leaves Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 2:48 pm
Huberman’s appointment might have to do with getting out of City Hall. Speilman’s big rumor was that Huberman was going to become the Superintendent of CPD. He’s too young and the rank and file wouldn’t take him. Huberman wants to go, Kruesi’s getting long in the tooth so everything works out.

It’s difficult to blame Kruesi for many of the CTA’s woes. The things that he actually has any control over he has done a decent job. You have to remember that he is only a small cog in the transit picture. He doesn’t very much control over the union contracts (pension requirements, retirement benefits, etc.), a decades long legacy of minimal maintenance, U.S. Congressional requirements for mass transit (or the American with Disabilities Act requirements for that matter), etc.

There’s not much excuse for his poor relationship with Springfield though. Hopefully, Huberman can do some thing in Springfield. He’s started off a little shaky with that bus driver comment, but he’s smart.

Comment by Jacketpotato Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 2:58 pm
The “chilren” that ride those busses from K thru 12 have vastly more transit experience. Surely one of them is related to someone and could be hired.

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 3:11 pm
The inimitable Jack Hartman is now the chief of the RISE group, which is now screwing up the capital program at Chicago Public Schools as an “Owners Representative”.

Ironically, probably the best qualified guy to run the CTA would be Tim Martin, former chief of IDOT and the “architect” behind the most impressive renewal of CPS in its history. He was the “hammer” for Paul Vallas in the CPS reorganization and capital program.

Alas, he’s got some US Attorney baggage following him, too, and the last I heard he’s working AECOM.

Could Huberman just be holding the chair open for Paul Vallas, who I understand is coming back to town?

I think you really need a “house cleaner” like Paul to get that mess cleaned up at CTA.

It can’t be any worse than CPS was a decade ago.

Comment by PalosParkBob Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 3:12 pm
I don’t think there’s any cronyism involved in the Huberman choice. The story on him has never been cronyism — he was a cop originally from the SW burbs.

I suspect his talent is he’s an exceptionally gifted technocrat. Whether he was being serious or tongue in cheek, the school bus line was bad PR.

Comment by Buck Turgidson Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 3:17 pm
Sounds like Huberman rode the short bus.

Comment by phocion Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 4:03 pm
Kruesi was an unmitigated disaster in the CTA. He should consider himself lucky that he wasn’t forced out by a mob bearing tar and feathers.

The new guy will be an improvement. Of course, so would my nine-year-old nephew.

Comment by fedup dem Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 4:09 pm
After a nationwide search for the best possible candidate we come with someone in own backyard.
Good one!
What’s Daley’s IQ? Anyone know?

Comment by Tea Leaves Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 5:22 pm
6

Comment by Bill Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 6:29 pm
The CTA is a very big and complicated organization to run. Ron Huberman might be a very smart guy, but he does not have the experience to do it. I hope it is only temporary. I agree that the CTA management has demonstrated a lack of good priorities, I suppose if Huberman can bring some practical priorities that will be a start. Block 35 superstation? Airport express? Pink Line? Circle Line? How about modern technology and infrastructure maintenance.

Comment by NoGiftsPlease Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 6:50 pm
Don’t forget, Smilin’ Frank was the one who had the gall to try and sneak a pension sweetner for himself past his own CTA board …and the clumsiness to get caught. At least he rides the el.

Comment by Hugh G. Rection Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 8:42 pm
I think many of you armchair critics have no idea how complex and difficult it is to run a governmental unit the size of the CTA and how little is actually under your control. Frank may have rubbed people the wrong way (I think he actually caught the “arrogance bug” from the Mayor - an awful lot of the Mayor’s people do), but he is incredibly bright and talented and did a lot of good things at the CTA.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 19, 07 @ 10:23 pm
Rich, you can put an awfully good person in charge of something, and if that something just ain’t tenable within the structure you’re working in, it doesn’t matter how smart you are or how good you are.
Let’s imagine someone very good was put in charge of all three of the state’s pension systems, say nine years ago. It wouldn’t have mattered an iota how good they were. The larger driving issues would be completely beyond their control. Would they be to blame for how badly funded our systems atre today?

Comment by steve schnorf Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 12:00 am
Most people agree the Daley regime has done a terrible job managing the transit system. Dumping Phil Cline or anyone else is just changing the figurehead. Daley says he has “managers” but the truth is every darn thing is tightly controlled and his aides do what HE wants. So, the only way I see the CTA mess changing is if the agency is separated from Daley, which is why it should be merged with the RTA. Huberman isn’t going to magically solve these problems and there is no massive money sitting in Springfield since Blago plans to spend all the proposed GRT on healthcare.

And, for those thinking the Olympic bid will solve the CTA crisis, that is still more than 2.5 years away before the IOC picks a winner. The CTA will self-destruct long before that.

Comment by Jenna Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 12:27 am
“Most people agree the Daley regime has done a terrible job managing the transit system.”

You mean, someone is actually in charge? I’ve never met Frank Kruesi, I just always kind of figured he was like the character “Keyser Soeze” from the flick “The Usual Suspects.” Completely invented out of thin air to deflect blame from the real culprit. I mean, come on, can anyone really be as evil as Frank Kruesi is portrayed?

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 1:25 am
Rich, I’ll give you this much: the CTA is screwed up because he’s too smart by half. Smarts like that don’t wear well in Springpatch. He’ll be back in another capacity and very soon. As for the Springpatch types who may be gloating today, they will regret giving him the freedom to engage in all sorts of mischief.

Comment by Punley Dieter Finn Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 1:08 pm
For somebody so smart, he sure is stupid when it comes to interpersonal relationships and management decisions.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 20, 07 @ 1:17 pm