Tollway director Lafleur and board chairwoman Wolff resigning

Two top Illinois tollway leaders are on the way out, with Executive Director Kristi Lafleur announcing her resignation Wednesday and board Chairman Paula Wolff stepping down earlier this week.

The moves comes amid a changed political climate in Springfield. Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed new tollway directors in May, and it was expected he would put his own stamp on the agency.

The transition gives Rauner sway over an agency that is well-funded and in the midst of a massive building program while many other government programs face significant cuts

Wolff and Lafleur said they were not pressured by the governor's office to leave. Lafleur said she actually submitted her resignation letter at the end of April.

Her last day will be June 16.

“I am very happy and honored to have spent this time at the tollway,” Lafleur said. “I believe the agency is in a solid place. It's been five years, and it's time to move on.”

Wolff said she handed in her resignation, which was effective Monday, in November after Rauner's election.

“I genuinely believe in the governor having his own team,” she said. “It's a good time to leave.”

Lafleur said one of the things she is most proud of during her tenure is restoring public confidence in the agency, which had been tarnished during the Blagojevich administration.

She recalled being approached by a tollway worker at an event who told her, “'Thank you. I'm not ashamed to wear my uniform home now.'”

Wolff was appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn as a reformer in 2009. She and Lafleur led the effort to start a 15-year, $12 billion capital program funded by a toll increase. Projects include widening the Jane Addams Tollway and extending the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway to the airport, an improvement that had stalled for years.

Although directors are offered a $31,000-a-year stipend, Wolff worked without pay.

Rauner's representatives on the board include former DuPage County Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson, Lake County Board member Nick Sauer and banker Joseph Gomez of Northfield.

Schillerstrom is considered to be a likely pick for board chairman. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The new directors will also vote on whether to undertake the extension of Route 53 into Lake County, an initiative forwarded by Lafleur.

“She's done a stupendous job,” Wolff said of Lafleur.

“I think we've left the agency on a solid financial footing,” Lafleur said.

Lafleur, Quinn's former deputy chief for economic development and recovery, was hired by the board in spring 2010.