Metra Chairman Brad O’Halloran Resigns

Written by Ben Feldheim

Brad O’Halloran has resigned from the Metra Board of Directors and the Orland Park Board of Trustees.

O’Halloran sent letters Thursday — one to the Cook County commissioners who chose him for the transit system’s board and another to Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin — where he resigned immediately from the two positions.

O’Halloran had been facing increasing scrutiny since June 21, when the Metra board approved a severance package that could be worth as much as $718,000 for former Metra CEO Alex Clifford, who had nine months left on his current contract. O’Halloran was named in a memo written by Clifford as applying political pressure to make executive decisions, as well as Metra board director Larry Huggins and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

O’Halloran met further criticism when it was revealed that he continued to receive compensation as an Orland Park trustee after he was appointed to the Metra board, which is against state law.

O’Halloran wrote in his letter about Metra that it was with “mixed feelings” that he resigned.

“I have come to the sad conclusion that, so long as I am Chairman and a member of the board, the truly critical issues facing Metra will be left aside while the focus remains on the next big headline or attention-grabbing quotation.”

Read O'Halloran's full letter about the Metra resignation above.

Also read his full resignation letter to Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin.