May 22, 2024 - News

Cleveland's top transit strategist is resigning from RTA board

Sam Allard

RTA General Manager India Birdsong Terry and members of the board of trustees. — Mersmann, second from left, is stepping down. Photo: Courtesy of RTA

Calley Mersmann, the City of Cleveland's senior strategist for transit and mobility, is resigning from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Board of Trustees.

State of play: In a letter to Cleveland City Council this week, Mayor Justin Bibb said Mersmann was stepping down to "take a more direct role in transit planning and policy" on behalf of the city.

Zoom in: Mersmann was appointed to the RTA board by Bibb last year for a three-year term that runs through March 2026.

By the numbers: Of the 10 RTA trustees, four are appointed by the Cleveland mayor, three are appointed by the Cuyahoga County executive, and three are appointed by the region's mayors and city managers association.

What's next: Bibb has nominated local attorney Anastasia Elder to fill Mersmann's seat.

The administration is hopeful Elder will be formally approved at the council's committee of the whole meeting on June 3, the last before the body's summer recess.

Between the lines: Elder, an associate with UB Greensfelder (formerly Ulmer & Berne) is a downtown resident and regular transit rider.

She appeared on a list of candidates recommended by the grassroots transit advocacy group Clevelanders for Public Transit in 2023.

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Cleveland's top transit strategist is resigning from RTA board

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