Gov. JB Pritzker introduced Tuesday that he has named former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s transportation chief because the state’s transportation secretary.
Pending state Senate approval, Gia Biagi will exchange Omer Osman, who’s retiring after holding the highest job on the Illinois Department of Transportation since 2019, the 12 months Pritzker grew to become governor.
“His broad portfolio and distinctive management expertise will undoubtedly advance IDOT’s mission and strengthen Illinois’ infrastructure efforts,” Pritzker stated of Biagi in an announcement.
Biagi took over as head of the Chicago Department of Transportation in December 2019, about seven months into Lightfoot’s tenure. In that job, he oversaw greater than 4,000 miles of roads; greater than 400 miles of motorcycle paths and trails; the road lamps, bridges and intersections of the town; and partnerships that function the town’s Divvy bike-sharing system and electrical scooters.
Biagi led the company as Lightfoot pushed for improvement and higher situations for strolling and biking close to public transportation, and made a controversial transfer to decrease minimal speeds that might result in a tremendous by means of the usage of site visitors cameras site visitors
Biagi and the town have additionally confronted criticism from advocates for not doing sufficient to guard and promote strolling and biking. But by the point it was introduced that it will go away the job in the summertime of 2023, shortly after Mayor Brandon Johnson took workplace, the company stated that one other 100 miles of motorcycle lanes and trails had been added within the metropolis below the surveillance of Biagi.
The City Council throughout its time period additionally authorised a pilot program that might use the cameras to tremendous car homeowners who park in bike lanes or lanes, crosswalks, bus stops and no-parking zones. Additionally, the Divvy bike sharing program has been expanded to achieve each neighborhood within the metropolis.
Biagi in 2022 introduced a program to provide away 5,000 bikes by 2026 that was met with overwhelming demand.
Before turning into CDOT commissioner, Biagi labored on city design, planning and technique on the structure agency Studio Gang. He had additionally labored for the Chicago Park District.
Osman started his profession at IDOT in 1989. He labored as a civil engineer earlier than shifting into management roles on the company, overseeing tasks such because the modernization of Interstate 80 south of Chicago, the reconstruction of the Interstate-57/74 interchange in Champaign-Urbana space and capability enhancements to I-57 in southern Illinois.
He led IDOT by means of the state’s $45 billion Rebuild Illinois infrastructure invoice, which funded street development and capital enchancment tasks throughout the state. Pritzker’s workplace additionally credited Osman with championing variety throughout the company and strongly advocating for minority- and women-owned companies in partnership with IDOT.
The state Office of the Executive Inspector General reported final 12 months that Osman violated a long-standing coverage by permitting high-ranking IDOT officers to delegate sure job duties in order to keep away from triggering a revolving door ban that it might restrict their job prospects as soon as they go away the job. company.
The state’s revolving door regulation prohibits sure staff from accepting jobs with state distributors if that they had a “private and substantial” function within the awarding or administration of a contract price $25,000 or extra within the previous 12 months, in addition to different restrictions. IDOT coverage states that the company is not going to grant “blanket recusals throughout an worker’s remaining 12 months of division employment in opposition to all doable future employers for the aim of avoiding any doable enforcement of the revolving door ban.” .
The inspector basic’s workplace discovered that Osman personally authorised these recusals for at the very least three staff who reported to him throughout his 30-year profession at IDOT. Additionally, the IG stated he gave investigators conflicting details about his information of the coverage and the extent to which staff withdrew from particular job duties.
Pritzker, who has praised Osman throughout public appearances on varied Illinois rebuilding tasks, has taken no disciplinary motion in opposition to his transportation chief. The governor’s workplace stated Osman labored “to make sure the company revamped its processes and did all the things we requested in an effort to alter the long-standing strategy it inherited.”
Osman’s state wage was about $220,000 a 12 months. When requested about Biagi’s wage, the governor’s workplace didn’t instantly reply. She will function performing secretary till the Senate takes motion.
Tribune reporter Dan Petrella contributed to this story.
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