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ESTHER Transit Task Force has New Leaders

After many years of remarkable leadership, Connie Kanitz has decided to resign from her leadership of the Transportation Task Force. We are very grateful for the many years that Connie dedicated to leading this group and fighting for accessible public transportation in the Fox Valley and around the state. She has been a tireless and respected leader on issues regarding public transportation.

We are happy to announce that two people have stepped up to lead the group in Connie’s absence. Susan Garcia-Franz is a Public Health Strategist with the Winnebago County Public Health Department as well as a long-time member of the task force. We are so pleased that she has decided to co-facilitate the task force along with Adam Belcorelli. Adam is an associate planner with the East Central Regional Planning Commission and brings extensive experience to the group in building transportation equity and accessibility in the Fox Valley. We are pleased that these talented and experienced individuals have stepped into this role as task force leaders.

One of the issues that we currently are exploring comes from a project currently in place in Portland, Oregon. There is a program there where incarcerated individuals are able to earn their CDL license while in prison. Once they are released they are hired by the regional transit system to work as bus drivers. This serves two purposes. It provides bus drivers to a system that is desperately lacking drivers, and it provides a good job to a returning citizen who is in need of a well-paying job to get back on their feet. The Fox Valley has very similar issues to Portland. Join us as we explore whether a program like this could happen in the Fox Valley.

We have changed when our task force currently meets. We now meet the first Tuesday of every month at 10 am via zoom. Please contact us at office@esther-foxvalley.org to receive the zoom link.

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