Detroit Area Regional Transit Authority For decades, the city of Detroit was one of the few remaining large U.S. cities to not have a coordinated regional transportation authority. The Detroit Regional Chamber, the nation’s largest local chamber of commerce created the Detroit Area Regional Transit Authority and asked Daniel Cherrin to secure the funding for its operation costs to start transportation planning in Southeastern Michigan.
Results Cherrin successfully secured $850,000 in federal funding for the start-up costs for DARTA, before it was officially established. As part of this effort to bring regional transit to Detroit, Cherrin represented the Chamber in Washington to secure additional funding through the reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act and worked in a coalition of road builders, engineers, government leaders and others in securing additional funds for the Detroit area. Cherrin also started a Federal Political Action Committee for the Chamber to enhance its relationships in Washington.