Cleveland RTA Deputy GM York to retire

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Deputy General Manager of Operations Mike York will retire on Friday, the agency announced late last week.

Throughout his five-decade career in the transit industry, he's held leadership positions at agencies in Atlanta, Dallas and Cleveland.

At GCRTA, York oversees more than 2,000 employees and an annual budget of $218 million. He played a key role in the 1996 opening of the Waterfront Line light-rail route, according to the agency's website.

York began his career as a bus operator and supervisor at Kent State University in 1967. He later was hired by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), where he held senior management positions.

While at MARTA, York was a "key player in the planning and development of a modern and innovative public transportation system that ultimately became a deciding factor in Atlanta being selected to host the 1996 Olympic Games," GCRTA officials said.

In 1984, York was hired as assistant executive director for operations and planning at Dallas Area Rapid Transit, where he was tasked with initial planning and development for the agency's light-rail system.

York joined GCRTA in 1990 and became deputy GM of operations in 1998.