The Greater Dayton RTA Chief Capital Officer Bob Ruzinsky was named a top advocate for public transit by his peers at the Ohio Public Transit Association (OPTA).
Ruzinsky was surprised with the Leonard Ronis Award ̶ OPTA’s top honor ̶ during OPTA’s annual statewide conference held in Columbus on April 1-3. The award is in memory of the founder and first president of OPTA who was known for his strong vision and devotion to public transit. Greater Dayton RTA CEO Mark Donaghy nominated Ruzinsky because of his decades of dedication to supporting public transportation not only in Dayton, but across the state and nation.
“His wealth of knowledge and experience has made him the go-to person for many of us to take on any thorny issue and quickly convert the proverbial lemon into lemonade,” Donaghy said.
Ruzinsky was named this year’s recipient due to his tireless efforts behind the scenes helping transit systems navigate the funding quagmire, applying for state and federal grants to pay for capital projects and planning for current and future operating costs.
Over the past years in Dayton, Ruzinsky has fulfilled a checklist of many projects, most notably initiating capital planning that highlights 15-20 year goals, and he has planned and implemented more than $200 million in capital improvements, Donaghy said. Those projects include a complete fleet replacement, including the RTA’s dual-mode electric trolley buses, and ongoing renovations to RTA headquarters and operating campus facilities.
The award was a surprise to Ruzinsky, and was announced by CEO Mark Donaghy during the conference.
