CITY HALL — Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointment of another pastor to a powerful transportation oversight board was rejected Wednesday by the City Council.

Jarixon Medina, pastor of the Spanish-speaking campus of New Life Covenant Church in Humboldt Park, will not take a high-paying position on the Regional Transportation Authority board after council members voted against his appointment by 25 votes in favor and 18 against.

The dissenting votes were led by Johnson’s political adversaries on the council, as well as six of the 14 members of his Public Roads Transportation Committee, including Chairman Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) and Vice President Ald. André Vásquez (40th).

On Monday, the committee moved Medina’s appointment forward for a final vote before the full council on Wednesday. but not without bristling in Medina for never having worked in public transportation.

Johnson’s pool of appointments to the RTA board included four others who had worked for or with the CTA in a professional capacity. They were approved unanimously on Wednesday.

The backlash against Johnson’s nomination of Medina comes after West Side pastor Ira Acree, a supporter of the mayor’s campaign, took his name out of consideration for a seat on the next traffic board a bumpy hearing in maywhere he admitted that he rarely uses the CTA and added that it was the “first time he had heard” about Local transportation’s looming $730 million fiscal cliff.

At Monday’s hearing, Medina dodged questions about the looming fiscal cliff and a proposal by state lawmakers to merge the CTA with Metra and PaceHe added that he stopped using public transportation regularly three years ago after his family bought a second car.

The Regional Transportation Authority oversees CTA, Pace and Metra. Its 16-member board is tasked with approving the annual budget plus the two-year financial and five-year capital plans that fund the three transit agencies. The five-year appointment to the agency’s board of directors pays $25,000 annually and requires members to attend a monthly meeting.

On Monday, Medina tried to present himself as a potential voice on the board for everyday cyclists like those who attend his church. After Wednesday’s vote, he declined to comment when contacted by Block Club by phone.

Johnson defended his derailed appointment of Medina at a news conference following Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

“He is a pastor of a church where 75 percent of his parishioners use public transportation. That is an important experience that belongs in this space,” Johnson said. “Look, having a diverse board that reflects the variety of expertise, that will really help us build a transportation system that reaches all of our constituents. That is my goal.”

Aldo. Daniel La Spata (1st), frequent critic of the CTA’s slow post-pandemic recovery and one of the first defenders of calls for dismissal of agency president Dorval Carterspoke in support of Medina in the council chamber Wednesday.

“I know there have been questions regarding the appointment of religious leaders to the RTA board of directors in recent months,” La Spata said. “But I do think he brings traits and values ​​that are sometimes underrepresented on the RTA board…the work I’ve seen him do around community engagement is deeply valuable.”

Aldo. Raymond López (15th), an outspoken critic of Johnson, moved to separate Medina’s vote from that of the other nominees on Wednesday.

Vasquez said in a statement that his no vote Wednesday was “not about the pastor,” but rather the “lack of process and respect” the Johnson administration showed in offering the nominations on short notice.

Transportation committee members did not learn of the candidates scheduled to appear at Monday’s hearing until the previous Friday afternoon.

“It is unfortunate that because of the way these appointments were rushed over a two-day weekend, someone who had a good heart but no experience was not appointed,” Vasquez said. “I hope the Johnson administration finds ways to work with the council to identify a transit advocate who can bring the experience along with the community involvement necessary to the position.”

Increased scrutiny on transportation board members comes after a Block Club investigation found that the CTA board rarely questioned Carter as its transit system struggled during the pandemic while his salary increased more than 60 percent, making him one of the city’s highest-paid officials.

Of more than 50 appointments to the CTA oversight board over the past 40 years, only three were transportation experts, Block Club previously revealed. In April, another politically connected pastor, Michael Eaddy, was appointed member of the CTA board of directors.

acre endorsed Johnson in the second round of the mayoral electionsinviting him to speak as a candidate and then elected mayor of his church. On Monday, Medina said he had learned about the vacant position on the Regional Transportation Authority board through another pastor familiar with Johnson, and that he did not know the position was paid.

Two of Johnson’s designated seats have been empty since March and June, even as the regional board voted on measures. how to approve hundreds of millions in bonds issued by the CTAa significant step to finance your Long-Promised Red Line Extension Project. The other three positions will remain vacant, allowing Johnson to select five new candidates.

The four appointees now joining the board are:

• Dennis MonderoCEO of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association and former CTA executive who helped develop the agency train tracker. Mondero also served on Johnson’s transition subcommittee focused on transportation.
• Natasha E. Jenkinsa corporate and local government attorney who has worked for the CTA to resolve labor disputes. Jenkins said she would be a “safety spokesperson” on the RTA board of directors.
• Nora Cay Ryanassistant to the president of the Chicago Federation of Labor who has worked with the presidents of the CTA’s largest rail and bus unions.
• Thomas G. Kotarac, senior vice president of transportation and infrastructure for the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and former executive of the Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency.

Block Club’s Manny Ramos and Quinn Myers contributed reporting.

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