Reyna-Hickey Steps Down As Director Of Revenue
After working for the City of Chicago for 25 years, Bea Reyna-Hickey has decided to step down from her position as Director of the Department of Revenue at the end of the month.
Reyna-Hickey becomes the first city department head to step down since Rahm Emanuel was sworn in as Mayor a scant few weeks ago.
Ms. Reyna-Hickey worked in several city departments before landing at Revenue in 2000 initially as Deputy Director, before moving into the top post.
Over her 11 year career at DOR, Reyna-Hickey grew annual revenues from $1.6 billion in 2000 to $2.2 billion in 2010.
Reyna-Hickey instituted many innovations during her tenure. Some ideas like web-based parking ticket/red light camera ticket payment, installing EZ Pay Station payment kiosks at locations around the city and starting the city’s first parking ticket/red light camera ticket payment plan program were well received by Chicago drivers.
Other leading technology she introduced certainly improved the efficiency of DOR’s street operations, but made things much tougher on Chicago car owners.
For example, under Reyna-Hickey Parking Enforcement Aides (PEAs) stopped issuing handwritten tickets and switched to handheld computers which allowed for issuing violations faster, with less errors and with photographs in some cases. And it was just few years ago when DOR boot vans were equipped with license plate recognition cameras which allowed the vans to scan hundreds of license plates per hour while hunting for boot eligible vehicles.
In 2008, management of the city’s entire parking meter system was privatized by Mayor Daley for the next 75 years for $1.16 billion dollars. Control of the meter system was transferred from Revenue to a private entity, Chicago Parking Meters, LLC and its operations partner LAZ Parking.
While Revenue is most known to the public for being the department in charge of issuing and collecting parking violations, it also responsible for collecting a wide range of taxes and fees. Reyna-Hickey introduced several city wide and multi-agency databases and other technologies to improve efficiencies in tax/fee collections.
Last August, Reyna-Hickey became the sacrificial lamb for the Daley administration when a DOR memo leaked to the Chicago Sun-Times that showed police department ticketing was down substantially. Reyna-Hickey was given a one day suspension.
“It has been an honor and a privilege serving the people of Chicago and I am grateful.” said Reyna-Hickey. “I look forward to great opportunities and wish Mayor Emanuel’s administration success.”
The Emanuel administration has yet to name a replacement for Reyna-Hickey, and the Mayor’s Press Office did not return several phone calls requesting comment.
Ms. Hickey’s last day is July 1st.
Ding Dong the Bitch is Gone
Take Cochran-Persons with you girl…ya’ll can hang out at Uncle Alderman Ward 20′s house and drink VOSP.
You are way off base Jose. None of us will argue with you about Cochran-Persons. When it comes to Reyna-Hickey, she was a decent boss.
All I see is nothing but positive things Bea did, why is she stepping down again?
TM…
She refused to Fix Street Ops major problem. Thus decent or not, she was a Failure.
Optimus….New Mayor. That simple.
I’m with TM & Optimus, I don’t know either of these ladies what I do know is from what I read and heard here, is that Bea made many good improvements. Also, do you think it is wise to sing praise like that while they are still in place.
I don’t know about Mr “Jose”, and while I never had any dealings with Bea personally; her tenure was both good and bad.
While she introduced several city wide and multi-agency databases and other technologies to improve efficiencies in tax/fee collections, and brought superior Technologies to Street Operations for Booters and PEA’s;
there are other areas that went “business as usual” in regards to the Staff that work to make the department successful for her resume.
Private Contractors doing City Work (issuing tickets, sometimes Improperly at that.)
Meekly going along with the purported “good Price” for the Lease.
Allowing Incompetent staffers and managers damage morale.
Dozens of agencies tripping over each other to write Tickets.
I am very surprised that Cochran Person is still there. She should be fired and have Don Jeroski take over as deputy director. At least Jeroski will be able to order locks for the booters and not be afraid to sign his name on a piece of paper to order supplies for the booters. They should also fire Paul Carlson and Tony Gambino along with Charles Billows.There are just to many incompetent managers at street operations.How many job titles have Paul Carlson had the past ten years.
Please fire Turrana Cochran Person.She is a incompetent deputy director who is not willing to sign off on ordering locks for us booters. We need locks Turrana. If you can’t do your job I hope Don Jeroski becomes deputy director. At least he tries to do his job to the best of his ability.
Please fire Paul Carlson Tony badback Gambino and Charles bad grammer Billows. We do no not need so many bosses in street ops who don’t know what there doing. When these three idiots were on vacation we did’t even notice they were gone.
Can we please find a competent deputy director that is willing to sign off on ordering booters locks instead of blaming other people for her own stupidity. Carlson, Gambino,Billows the three misfits in street ops.
Stacy,
Send me more info on all this.
Here’s my email: askthegeek@theexpiredmeter.com
Don’t know what Billows could do about locks for booters.
He’s head of Security
Billows has alot of influence with Turrana dumb dumb. She listens to what ever Billows tells her. Billows might be head of security but if he tells Turrana dumb dumb that the booters need locks she will order them.
what kind of information do you need Mr Geek ?
Stacy,
Looking for tips on interesting stories. Abuse of taxpayer funds, bad policy, etc. Not necessarily internal politics, but things drivers and taxpayers would find interesting.
On its surface, the idea that booters don’t have the proper tools they need (locks) to do their jobs correctly, sounds crazy to me. But I would like to have more details to insure it’s a legit story. Would love details on this and whatever else.
My communication preference is via email: askthegeek@theexpiredmeter.com
Let’s talk! Shoot me an email. Thanks Stacy!
Stacey….
The Geek is very able at keeping quiet on source names to ensure that City Employees do not get into trouble from retribution.
Turrana Cochran Person who is the Deputy Director of street ops has the responibility to order supplies when we need them . Don Jeroski tells her that we are in short supply of locks.Unfortunately she does not order them. She tells Jeroski that we are in a budget deficit . How can we be in a budget deficit if the 2013 budget has been passed. It does not make any sense. Don Jeroski tells her every day that we need locks in order for the booters to do there job. Cochran Person just listens but doesn’t do any thing about it. Cochran Person is to afraid to sign her name on the dotted line to order locks so the booters and booter supervisors have to make do what they have. Logically if you order 300 boots shouldn’t you order 300 booters locks. Call Don jeroski he will tell what is going on.You have an incompetent deputy director who earns over $100,000 dollars and is afraid to sign her name on the dotted line to order booters locks.My question is what is her reasoning for not ordering locks when we need them.If any body out there is boot eligible don’t worry Cochran Person didn’t order booters locks.In simpler terms the city is running a shortage on booters locks. We’re having a booting holiday.
Stacy….
EMAIL THAT SHIT TO MIKE…don’t post it out in the Open for crying out loud.
Stacy,are you nuts! you can’t reveal that stuff out in the open. EMAIL that stuff to the geek and he will investigate. Hey geek what is your reply to this?
Stacy,
Are you saying…without boot locks, anyone with a boot can remove their boot without any problems?
Is this issue you’re bringing up allowing booted vehicles to, let’s say, somehow “lose” their boot. Is the DOR seeing more lost boots due to the lock issues you are posting here?
I agree with Rept of Revenue Employee.
Email me at:
info@theexpiredmeter.com
turrana cochran person should be fired as deputy director of street operations.
Rept….
Just file Anon Complaints on a Regular basis to the IG about the stunts she pulls daily.
It will happen eventually.
Won’t happen Jose. There have been so many complaints filed (even with names), that the only thing that happens is she gets promoted. I just called last week about an issue with a ticket, the secretary was like she knew Turranna…that complaint is gonna get squashed. Need to get rid her uncle to get rid of her.