Interim head of Chicago airports no stranger to O’Hare, Midway

The Chicago Department of Aviation’s temporary chief is an attorney versed in both O’Hare and Midway international airports.

Acting CDA Commissioner Tracey Payne replaces Jamie Rhee, the former head of the agency who retired April 15 after serving for nearly seven years.

The next commissioner will inherit a complex portfolio with revolving priorities from the economic growth of O'Hare and Midway, to capital projects, safety, jet noise and managing airlines.

Payne previously worked as CDA managing deputy commissioner/chief administrative officer. Her duties include handling day-to-day operational details of finance, payroll, intergovernmental affairs and workforce development.

She also worked for more than 25 years for the city’s department of law, where she was chief assistant corporation counsel. Her focus included airport financing and concessions, plus safety and security at O’Hare and Midway.

Payne has a law degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

One ongoing challenge for the next commissioner is the Terminal Area Program, a modernization that includes demolishing Terminal 2 and replacing it with a Global Terminal. The project hit a rough patch last year amid objections from American and United airlines over the cost, but a compromise was reached in May 2024.

Another outstanding issue is the city's proposed overnight runway rotation. The O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission spent years coming up with a 2022 compromise intended to evenly distribute runway use at night. The plan was submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration by the CDA but is still in the early stages of being reviewed.

Meanwhile, suburbs clustered around O’Hare will benefit from a commissioner who has a good rapport with the ONCC. Rhee was a regular attendant at ONCC meetings, which hasn't always been the case.

Rhee was appointed by former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2018 when Commissioner Ginger Evans left after three years on the job. Evans came from Washington D.C.’s airport authority, but Emanuel looked closer to home for a replacement, picking Rhee who was Chicago’s chief procurement officer.