Gary Swanson, of Mentor, was sworn in earlier this week to serve on the Laketran Board of Trustees. Swanson is the president of Mentor-based manufacturer Thermotion and currently serves on the Lake Erie College board of directors. Swanson has previously volunteered in leadership roles for United Way of Lake County and Boy Scouts of America.

“Laketran is an important part of the Lake County environment and a vital asset for many in our community,” shared Swanson. “I look forward to playing a part in making sure the agency continues to excel in serving the residents of Lake County.”

Swanson will serve the board until May 2022 completing a three-year term vacated by David Anderson after being hired as the Executive Director of the Lake County Port and Economic Development Authority.

Brian Falkowski, of Concord, was unanimously re-elected to a seventh, one-year term as the Board President of Lake County’s regional transit system. Chuck Zibbel, also of Concord, will continue to serve as Vice President.

“We are very excited to have Gary as part of our organization,” shared Falkowski. “His expertise in manufacturing automotive parts and board experience among various community organizations will be valuable to Laketran.”

As for the year ahead, Falkowski commented, “We have many exciting projects coming to fruition this year. We will be replacing a 12-year old diesel fleet that operates our fixed route service with battery-operated electric buses. Prior to the arrival of the buses, we’ll be opening a new transit centers at Lakeland Community College and Wickliffe Park-n-Ride that house the charging infrastructure for the electric buses.”

“We will also continue to closely monitor the needs of the community during the pandemic. Earlier this month, we launched the Lake County Mobile Food Pantry to help seniors access fresh produce and will be providing free transportation to anyone who needs to be vaccinated,” concluded Falkowski.

Laketran is governed by a volunteer nine-member board appointed by the Lake County Commissioners. The board provides the agency fiduciary oversight and establishes policies to ensure services that best fit the needs of the community.