CHICAGO (AP) - A former Chicago alderman has been named chairman of the city’s Metra commuter rail system.
Robert Oberman on Tuesday was unanimously selected to the post by Metra’s board of directors.
The Democrat will complete the term of former chairman Brad O’Halloran, which ends in the fall of 2016. O’Halloran resigned last summer as criticism grew over the $718,000 buyout of the rail agency’s former CEO Alex Clifford.
Oberman was appointed to the board in September by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fill the city’s only seat on the board after Larry Huggins was forced to resign. Huggins became embroiled in the patronage scandal that exploded after Clifford’s resignation.
Metra, one of nation’s largest commuter rail networks, has been criticized recently by passengers for lackluster service during the recent extreme cold.
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