(Kansas City, Mo. I Jan. 31, 2019) The Board of Commissioners of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) elected new officers and welcomed a new commissioner at the Jan. 30, 2019 board meeting. The commissioners re-elected Daniel Serda and David Bower to serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively. Melissa Bynum will serve as Treasurer and Anne Post was elected Secretary. Commissioners are nominated at the end of the year and officially elected in January of each year.
Attorney Louie Wright Replaced Judge Sims
Louie A. Wright has been appointed to represent Clay County, Missouri on the KCATA Board, replacing retiring commissioner Judge Thomas E. Sims.
Wright operates his own law practice, Wright Law Offices, LLC, and is an Adjunct Professor at UMKC School of Law, where he teaches Labor Law. He is admitted to practice law in Missouri, Kansas and Colorado, and focuses on labor law and negotiations.
Currently, he is General Counsel to Local No. 42 of the International Association of Firefighters that represents public employees in twelve separate political subdivisions. Wright is currently Chair of Kansas City’s Health Care Trust and the City’s Workers’ Compensation Board. He also serves on the Firefighters’ Pension Board.
Wright holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also holds a Juris Doctor (with Distinction) from the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law.
Wright is retired from the Kansas City Fire Department and previously served as the President of Local No. 42. He also served on the IAFF International Executive Board until 2008 representing members in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas; and he has also served on the Executive Boards of the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Wright resides in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife Melinda. He has two adult children who both live in New York City.
KCATA is governed by a 10-member Board of Commissioners, five from Missouri and five from Kansas. Commissioners are limited to two consecutive four-year terms. Responsibility for the management, control and operation of the Authority and its properties is vested in the Board. The Board exercises its responsibility by adopting all general policies of the Authority, including the adoption of annual capital and operating budgets, the establishment of the goals of the Authority, and the selection of a CEO. The Board may delegate certain duties and responsibilities to the CEO for the management and operation of the Authority.