Amesbury Mayor Gove Becomes Chair of MeVa Transit Public Bus Advisory Board

Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove and Transit Authority Administrator Noah Berger launching a revised Route 51 Haverhill-Amesbury bus route. (Photograph via City of Amesbury.)

Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove is taking the place of one of her former subordinates as chair of the Merrimack Valley Transit Advisory Board.

Gove was unanimously elected last week to serve the quasi-government bus company now known as MeVa, but formerly as the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority, based in Haverhill. She succeeds Angela Cleveland, who served as Amesbury’s director of Community and Economic Development until April and now works at Rochester, N.H.-based Strafford Regional Planning Commission as senior regional planner.

“Amesbury has a close relationship to MeVa as home to their Nicholas J. Costello Transportation Center, one of only three bus hubs in the region. My staff and I have worked closely with our residents, businesses and other key stakeholders to prioritize the expansion of local transit service in partnership with MeVa and to elevate their presence in our neighborhoods,” said Gove.

According to the agency, Gove, currently serving her second term as Amesbury’s mayor, has been “a key partner in transit, championing route changes and service upgrades to improve bus accessibility for residents across the district.”

As chair, Gove’s primary responsibilities include overseeing monthly advisory board meetings, helping to set the agenda with the administrator and working with the board to set goals for the upcoming fiscal year.

Besides Gove, board leadership includes Vice Chair Myra Ortiz of Lawrence; Secretary Kathleen Colwell of Methuen and Treasurer James Ryan of Salisbury. MeVa’s 18- member board is comprised of an appointee from each member community, plus a designated representative of the disability community and a rider advocate.

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