Lane Beattie, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber issued the following statement regarding the announcement by Utah Transit Authority (UTA) that Michael Allegra would be retiring, effective August 28:
“For nearly four decades, Michael has been a great asset for Utah. His influence with UTA over 37 years has brought our region to be recognized as not only as one of the top transit metros in the country, but indeed the very best.
“As a business community we applauded his outstanding example of an effective and exemplary public servant. Through Michael’s leadership the business community has come to embrace and champion transit as critical to strengthening our economy.
“Specifically, Michael played an integral role in developing UTA’s extensive rail system and oversaw the completion of the FrontLines 2015 project. Our current economic success is a credit to this program being completed during the recession, two years ahead of schedule and nearly $300 million under budget. This investment continues to pay dividends for our state and generations to come.
“UTA’s accomplishments have been a great advantage to Utah’s air quality, economy and quality of life. Michael’s efforts have enhanced and made millions of Utahn’s lives better. We express our gratitude to Michael for his service, support and partnership with the business community.”
