CapMetro set for leadership change as CEO leaving for job in D.C.
A leadership change is coming to Central Texas' main transit authority, as Capital Metro President and CEO Randy Clarke said Tuesday that he is leaving the agency for another job.
Clarke, who has led CapMetro since March 2018, is leaving to become general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, D.C., according to CapMetro.
Clarke will begin his new job in the summer. The CapMetro board will meet this month to consider a transition plan, the agency said.
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“We will certainly miss Randy at CapMetro,” Travis County Commissioner and CapMetro board Chair Jeff Travillion said in a written statement. “I’m proud of the work that we’ve accomplished under Randy’s leadership over these last four years. He’s brought us together in so many ways, from building the community’s trust to secure funding for Project Connect to building trust with our staff that led to improved operations and better relations with our labor union."
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Founded in 1985, CapMetro operates the Austin area's public transportation system, which includes bus and shuttle service as well as a commuter rail line. The agency has an annual operating budget of $318.6 million, has a service area of 542 square miles and had 16.9 million passenger boardings in 2021, according to the CapMetro's website,
After Austinites voted in November 2020 in favor of Project Connect, a multibillion-dollar transportation infrastructure plan, CapMetro and the city of Austin formed the Austin Transit Partnership to administrate the project and handle its day-to-day operations.
When voters approved a local tax increase to help pay for Project Connect, they were told the project's estimated cost would be $7.1 billion. But in April, a memo released by the Austin Transit Partnership said the estimated cost for the project has ballooned by an additional $4.5 billion, putting the estimated price tag now at about $11.6 billion.
The memo detailed the estimated cost increases and identified three primary causes: the increasing cost of real estate in Austin; the impact of inflation and supply chain concerns; and changes to the scope and design of the projects.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: CapMetro set for leadership change as CEO leaving for job in D.C.
