Regional Transit Authority Progress

The new Regional Transit Authority is coming together, slowly but surely.

All of the RTA Board members have now been appointed:

• Representing Detroit:
  • Lisa Franklin, president of Warriors on Wheels and champion of people with disabilities 
• Representing Macomb County:
  • Julie Gatti, President-Elect of the Macomb Bar Association and independant family lawyer
  • Roy C. Rose, President of an engineering consulting firm, on the Boards of Leadership Macomb and Focus Macomb
• Representing Oakland County:
  • Steven M. Potter, Rochester Hills resident, trial attorney, and former law partner of Brooks Patterson 
  • Matthew M. Wirgau, Bloomfield Hills resident, former SMART board chair, and president of Midwest Financial Service
• Representing Washtenaw County:
  • Richard Murphy, who works with the Ypsilanti Planning Commission and the Michigan Suburbs Alliance
  • Elizabeth Gerber, Public Policy Professor at University of Michigan, focused on regionalism
• Representing Wayne County:
  • Dr. Curtis Ivery, Chancellor of Wayne County Community College District
  • Mark Gaffney, former president of the Michigan AFL-CIO
• Non-Voting Chair, representing the State:
  • Paul Hillegonds, DTE Vice-President and former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives Several MDOT and SEMCOG staff are supporting the RTA as it gets up and running, including:
    • Shanelle Jackson, a former Detroit state representative, to facilitate community outreach
    • Mario Morrow, to support communications
    • Joe Pavona, to coordinate public-private partnerships

    The Board will have an orientation meeting March 28, then hold the first RTA Board meeting April 10 at 3pm at SEMCOG’s downtown Detroit offices to get started developing bylaws, hiring a CEO, selecting a Citizen’s Advisory Committee, setting up a website, and much more.

    Plan to join us on April 10th for the first board meeting and a fun media event.

    Stay tuned for details!