Research Triangle Park, N.C. - The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) announced today that Wib Gulley will become its General Counsel and will resign his seat in the N. C. Senate. Gulley will join TTA on March 22.

In announcing his decision to join TTA, Gulley told a news conference at the N.C. General Assembly that he has greatly enjoyed his 12 years of public service as a member of the state Senate.

“I have been honored to serve the people of Durham, Granville and Person counties in the Senate, and I am grateful for their confidence and support of my work for our region and state,” said Gulley. “I will miss working with my wonderful colleagues in the NC Senate and House, the staff who support us so well, and with the fine people across my district. At the same time, I am very excited by the new challenges and opportunities offered by this position with TTA.”

Gulley is well known for his support of transportation in the state, serving as Chairman of the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on Transportation for the last five years. As co-chair of the Legislature’s Transportation Oversight Committee and the Highway Trust Fund Study Commission, he has worked to strengthen North Carolina’s highway, regional rail and public transportation systems by increasing state and local funding. Gulley said he is proud of the legislation he authored that has put $1.5 billion in funds to work for increased public transit support and road maintenance, as well as other legislative initiatives.

Board Chairman William G. Smith said Gulley joins TTA at the right time. “Wib’s leadership and support for public transit will help us as we move ahead with the Regional Rail Project and consolidating bus service in the Triangle. His knowledge of the players will be an asset in his role as the chief legal advisor to the board of trustees and the executive staff of TTA.”

Gulley played a significant role in helping start TTA. During his term as Mayor of Durham from 1985-1989, he served as the first chairman of the TTA Board of Trustees and helped get legislative approval for TTA to become a regional transit authority in Durham, Orange and Wake Counties. In the legislature, Sen. Gulley was the principal sponsor of many pieces of legislation, which helped TTA expand its scope of operations and its financial base.

“I am very proud of the strong growth and development of TTA, through the hard work of its Board and staff,” Gulley added. “In many ways, it feels like I am coming home. I look forward to working as a part of the Authority’s team to ensure mobility, choices for transportation, economic vitality and a high quality of life for our region.”

TTA is a regional public transportation provider, offering a wide variety of transit services to North Carolina's greater Triangle Region and outlying counties. In addition to its regional bus services and commuter resources, TTA plans to implement a 35-mile rail transit system with 16 stations connecting Durham, RTP, Cary and Raleigh, with shuttles linking RDU International Airport and RTP. The rail transit system is expected to be operational in late 2007 or early 2008. For more information, visit www.rideTTA.org or call (919) 549-9999.