By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – A Connect Transit board member is questioning the accuracy of statements made by the board’s chair and vice chair when they spoke earlier this month to the Normal Town Council.

John Bowman said at the conclusion of Tuesday’s board meeting that Chairman Mike McCurdy and Vice Chair Ryan Whitehouse were wrong when they told the town council that routes had never been changed because of the size of buses.

Bowman pointed to a nearly four year old document indicating there were in fact route changes when the transit system started to phase in larger 40 foot buses.

“Sunnyside Apartment Complex was one that lost service directly because of the larger buses,” said Bowman.

“There was a pretty strong statement that was made at the October 7 session with the town council that no changes had ever been made because of bus sizes. That’s simply a revision of history, frankly,” Bowman said.

McCurdy believes he was providing correct information, and intends to review prior reports to check his accuracy of his comments.

Whitehouse said he answered council members questions to the best of his ability, but does not rule out missing a fact or two during the nearly two hours that he and McCurdy appeared before the council.

“I have served on this board as a volunteer for almost eight years. I’m not going to say I’m perfect. That could have happened, but if that did happen, it was out of good faith,” said Whitehouse.

“Nothing that I said was a dishonest misrepresentation,” Whitehouse also said.

Even unintended factual errors undermine the transit system’s credibility with a skeptical public, said Bowman.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]