Cook County, IL — On July 1, 2025, the Cook County Board’s Suburban Transportation Committee took the unprecedented step of disregarding long-established precedent by overriding the recommendation I submitted for the Pace Board appointment representing Cook County’s Southwest Suburban region. Nearly 80% of this region lies within the 17th District, which I am honored to represent. Pace bus public transportation services offer transit options for the residents of 274 municipalities in Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. Pace serves approximately 127,000 daily riders.

For decades, this Board has respected the tradition that the commissioner whose district comprises a majority of the region has the deference to select the nominee from their district’s community. That practice was ignored on Tuesday for the first time, and the reason is painfully clear: political pressure and backroom interests carried more weight than merit and community representation.

I had proudly recommended Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz — a well-respected, reform-minded executive who brings leadership, transparency, and a results-oriented approach to local government. His qualifications are beyond reproach, and his appointment would have brought a fresh and accountable perspective to the Pace Board.

Instead, sadly, a majority of my colleagues on the committee voted to reappoint Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings, a longtime political figure with deep ties to the status quo. In doing so, they bowed to the bullying special interest pressure and rejected a better-qualified reform candidate.

What makes Tuesday’s decision even more troubling is that Mayor Hastings himself invoked the support of his son, State Senator Michael Hastings, as a credential during the appointment process, openly stating that the Senator supports him and that they work together on issues in Springfield. In doing so, Mayor Hastings made the connection between their roles a matter of public relevance.

That context cannot be ignored. Senator Michael Hastings has been accused of serious misconduct, including multiple allegations of domestic violence, using our taxpayer dollars to pay for his lawsuits for sexual harassment and racial discrimination by his former staffers, and a well-documented pattern of screaming at, bullying and intimidation toward colleagues and lobbyists. These matters have cost Illinois taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements and cast a dark cloud over his public service. He was removed from committees and rebuked by Senate Leader Don Harmon, and Governor JB Pritzker called for his resignation.

While Kyle Hastings is not legally responsible for his son’s conduct, he deliberately tied his own credibility to Senator Hastings by using him as an endorsement. That decision invites a fair examination of the kind of political machinery at work behind Tuesday’s vote and raises serious concerns about the motivation behind his reappointment.

This was not a vote about good governance or who best represents the Southwest Suburbs. It was a calculated, politically motivated betrayal of a transparent and trusted process. Cook County residents deserve better than this. We must restore integrity to our appointments. Our transportation leadership should be chosen based on merit, transparent public trust, and service to the people, not the continuation of insider deals and political lineage.