Brandon Johnson's nominee to RTA board Ira Acree withdraws, denouncing critics as 'opponents of African American empowerment'

The Rev. Ira Acree withdrew Friday as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s nominee to the Regional Transportation Authority board, branding those who called him unqualified as "opponents of African American empowerment."

Acree said he “should have been better prepared” during his confirmation at the Chicago City Council's Transportation Committee earlier this month. He stumbled when he told committee members: “This is my first time hearing about a $735 million shortfall” facing the RTA and its mass transit agencies — the CTA, Metra and Pace — as federal stimulus funds dry up.

But Acree accused the two council members who voted against his nomination of holding him to a higher standard than that applied to the previous parade of appointments to mass transit boards, many who had no mass transit expertise.

Appointments to mass transit boards routinely have been political in nature. Former Mayor Richard J. Daley once appointed Cubs’ Hall of Famer Ernie Banks to the CTA board.

"It's just so unfortunate that opponents of African American empowerment have struck again," Acree told the Chicago Sun-Times. "If we're going to start saying people have to be experts in a particular field to be on the board, we're going to have to go through all of these boards one by one. If that's the game they're going to play, we've got to go to the housing board, the education board, the zoning board — all of these boards and even vacate City Council."

Acree said he's withdrawing because he is taking a "principled position," adding, "I'm not going to be the lightning rod for people who are trying to derail Mayor Brandon's administration."

Acree also criticized the "appalling" questions put to him.

"I'm a student of Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King didn't need to be a regular rider on the bus. He didn't need to be a regular rider on the Montgomery [Alabama] transit system to lead the Montgomery bus boycott. The people needed leadership. They needed somebody who could organize, advocate and speak up for the public good," Acree said. "I've got 25 years of that. ... It's their loss."

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who cast one of two dissenting votes against Acree in committee, denied he had questioned the mayor's choice unfairly or held him to a higher standard.

Vasquez said he met with Acree an hour before the confirmation hearing and not only told him what he was going to say but shared with him the questions he planned to ask.

“There’s definitely a history of folks who don’t have experience or may be politically connected being appointed to boards. I understand that," Vasquez said. "But with CTA being in the position it’s in compared to other cities and a looming $735 million fiscal cliff coming, we have to see who’s going to be prepared to deal with that.”

Vasquez has been a prime mover behind a nonbinding resolution demanding that CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. resign or be fired by the mayor.

“I don’t think it’s opponents of African American empowerment. CTA is a largely Black agency as far as employees. So I’m sure there’s plenty of former employees, retirees who could serve on the board. There’s plenty of folks who have transit experience who also could have been nominated," Vasquez said.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), who also voted against Acree’s nomination, said it’s absurd to suggestion opposition to him was racially motivated.

“I was the first elected official to support the first Black woman mayor of the city,” Waguespack said, referring to former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “It was about the goals and the vision for our public transportation system, which needs to be running well for a city of our size. ... The problem was the mayor had no vision, no plan, no goals for — not just the position, but for the RTA or the CTA. I don’t think I asked any questions that I haven’t asked of anybody else over the last 15 years.”

Earlier this week, Johnson called off a final City Council vote on Acree's nomination to give alderpersons more time to get educated about Acree. At the time, the mayor said he stood behind the nomination and expected the longtime civil rights leader to be confirmed.

During an unrelated new conference Friday on Memorial Day safety, Johnson made it clear he did not ask Acree to withdraw.

Johnson said he recommended Acree because he firmly believes that, “People who are closest to the trauma have better insight into how to deliver effective government for people.”