Town transit director to resign

After more than six years, Chapel Hill is losing a spoke on the wheel that helps keep the town rolling.

Chapel Hill Transit Director Steve Spade announced Sunday that he will resign from his post on Oct. 26 to become the transit director in Wichita, Kan.

Though he has mixed feelings about the move, he said the new position will enable him and his wife to be closer to their families.

“If you’re a transit manager, you couldn’t ask for a better place to be,” he said about Chapel Hill. “This has been a great staff to work with.”

Spade joined Chapel Hill Transit in April 2006, after serving as the head of the Des Moines Transit Authority.

Spade said he is most proud of being able to satisfy the majority of customers while maintaining a high-quality transit system for the town.

“I think we’ve begun to deliver a really, really good service,” he said.

Chapel Hill Transit covers more than 2.5 million miles per year and has a fleet of 121 buses.

It is also the second-largest transit system in the state next to Charlotte, said Brian Litchfield, assistant transit director for Chapel Hill.

Durham Department of Transportation Director Mark Ahrendsen said collaboration between Durham and Chapel Hill’s transit systems has been essential for growth.

“It really is a partnership, and (Spade’s) been integral in that partnership,” he said.

Town Manager Roger Stancil said Spade will be sorely missed for his leadership abilities.

“This is a serious blow to our transit operations,” he said in an email to the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Stancil said Chapel Hill and its other transit partners — the University and Carrboro — will immediately begin the search for Spade’s replacement.

UNC Department of Public Safety Chief Jeff McCracken said whoever replaces Spade will have big shoes to fill.

“He has really brought the transit system forward,” he said.

McCracken said Spade played a large part in Chapel Hill Transit becoming one of the largest fare-free bus systems in the country.

He also said Spade understood the complexities of operating and overseeing a transit system.

“That’s a tough position.”

And McCracken also said he thinks Spade will be successful in Wichita.

Spade will have similar responsibilities at his new position, though he said demand for buses is higher in Chapel Hill.

“It’s a different type of transit system,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.