The 2025 OneCape Award: Honoring Tom Cahir

The Cape Cod Commission is proud to honor the legacy of longtime legislator and public servant Tom Cahir with the 2025 OneCape Award, presented during this year’s OneCape Summit. 

The OneCape Award is presented annually to a person or organization exemplifying outstanding leadership and dedication to Cape Cod. This year’s award recognizes Cahir’s remarkable contributions to transportation, regional planning, and public service. 

Cahir served the people of Cape Cod for more than four decades. Following in the footsteps of his father, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1985, representing the Third Barnstable District for 14 years. Transportation was a constant focus of his legislative career. As Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, he championed projects such as commuter rail expansion and the Sagamore Rotary flyover, along with numerous road and bridge improvements across the Commonwealth. 

After leaving the Legislature, Cahir served as Deputy Secretary for Transportation Programs at the Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works before becoming Administrator of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) in 2009. Under his leadership, the CCRTA transformed its services, launching the seasonal CapeFLYER rail service from Boston to Cape Cod, adding a Wareham stop in 2014, and pioneering the SmartDART app-based ride-hailing service. He also advanced CCRTA’s clean energy initiatives, steering the system toward a zero-emission vehicle future and strengthening multimodal connections across trains, buses, ferries, cycling, and pedestrian networks. 

Cahir was also a partner and friend to the Cape Cod Commission. A pivotal figure in the creation of the Commission in 1990, he helped usher the Cape Cod Commission Act into law and continued to advise and collaborate on dozens of planning initiatives throughout his career. 

“Tom Cahir dedicated his life to improving the quality of life for Cape Codders through visionary leadership and unwavering public service. From his pivotal role in establishing the Cape Cod Commission to his transformative work at the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, Tom’s legacy is one of collaboration, innovation, and care for the community he loved. We are proud to honor his memory with the 2025 OneCape Award,” said Kristy Senatori, Cape Cod Commission Executive Director. 

An exemplary leader, Cahir was always encouraging and supporting those around him. His vision, dedication, and friendship left an indelible mark on the Cape Cod community.