ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – At their July 20 Board of Directors’ meeting, Pace welcomed new Board member John Noak, Mayor of Romeoville, to replace former Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar and represent Will County. Prior to the meeting four other Pace Board members were reappointed. Thomas D. Marcucci (DuPage County), Jeffery D. Schielke (Kane County), Erin Smith (McHenry County), and Linda Soto (Lake County) will serve four-year terms that began July 1, 2022.
Pace’s newest Director, John Noak, has served as Mayor of the Village of Romeoville since 2008. Noak is on the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Executive Board and is the Legislative Chair of the Will County Governmental League and the Chairman of the Des Plaines Valley Enterprise Zone. Noak serves as a board member of the Joliet Regional Port District. Noak also serves on the Transportation & Infrastructure Services Committee and the University Communities Council at the National League of Cities as well as the Transportation Committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
“Mayor Noak’s experience in transportation and career in public service make him an ideal candidate for the Pace Board of Directors,” commented Pace Chairman Rick Kwasneski. “I look forward to working with him as we transform our system to meet the needs of those we serve.”
“Director Noak is joining Pace at a very exciting time. We have a unique opportunity to reimagine our service and create a sustainable, equitable, and modern transit network to better serve our region now and in the coming years. We are honored to have Director Noak on our Board of Directors,” said Executive Director Melinda Metzger.
Tom Marcucci has served on the Pace Board of Directors since 1998 and was the longest serving Mayor in the history of Elmhurst, holding the position from 1993-2009. Among his many leadership roles in public service, Marcucci has served as President of the DuPage County Mayors and Managers Conference and Treasurer of the Suburban O'Hare Commission, and he as on the Executive Board of the Chicago Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. He has been actively involved in organizations focused on children, families, and infrastructure throughout his career.
Jeff Schielke, a sixth-generation resident of Batavia, Illinois, is currently serving his 42nd consecutive year as Mayor of the western Chicago suburb, making him one of the longest-serving Mayors in Illinois. He has served on the Pace Board of Directors since 2002 and as Chairman of the Kane/Kendall Council of Mayors since 1985. In 1996, Schielke began service as Chairman of the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) Executive Council of Mayors and has continued in that role as CATS was transformed into CMAP. Schielke served as Chairman of the Kane/Kendall County Fox River Bridge Citing Commission. He has co-authored over a half dozen published books on topics ranging from local history to the international fire service.
Erin Smith served as Lakewood Village President from May 2009 to April 2017, following four years of service as a Village Trustee. During her tenure as President, Smith also served in leadership roles on the McHenry County Council of Governments (MCCG), and the Chicago Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. As Village President, she passed consecutive budgets that funded MCRide services for Lakewood residents. In 2015, Smith chaired the Mayors Taskforce within Chicago’s ADA25 Committee, helping to coordinate and document local government disability inclusion. Since then, she has served on the Chicago Community Trust Disability Fund Advisory Board where she continued to advocate for disability justice and inclusion.
Linda Soto was elected Hainesville Village Trustee in April 1995 and then Mayor from 1997-2017. Over her career, Soto has served on numerous committees and boards concerning education, water, sewer, waste, and transportation. In 2015, Soto was appointed to represent Lake County on the Pace Board of Directors. Soto also serves on Pace’s Planning Committee. Soto works as the Executive Director of the Lake County Transportation Alliance (LCTA), a public-private group working to develop multi-modal transportation goals and objectives in the County.
The Pace Board of Directors has pursued ambitious goals so far this year, ordering the agency's first electric buses, overseeing the construction of new garages and promoting innovative service models during a time of change in the industry. "It is exciting to work with a Board of Directors that supports transit and the role it plays in economic development,” said Metzger.
The Board meets monthly in Arlington Heights, typically on the third Wednesday of each month at 9:30am. The Board's schedule, along with agendas, minutes, and video recordings can be found at PaceBus.com and meetings are streamed live on YouTube.
