In a unanimous decision by her colleagues on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Pleasant Hill Mayor Sue Noack was recently ushered in as the new Chair of the regional board. With her ascension, Noack is set to guide MTC through her two-year term, extending to February 2027. Her appointment to this influential post marks another milestone in a career deeply rooted in public service and local governance. Noack, who holds a prized seat as the representation for Contra Costa County cities on MTC, brings years of experience to the role, having first been elected to Pleasant Hill City Council in 2014.
Accompanying Noack at the organization's helm is Marlin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters, who will serve as Vice Chair for the next two years. Having previously wielded the mayoral gavel in Mill Valley, her background in local politics is similarly extensive. Moulton-Peters' reputation has given her a pivotal role on boards like the Transportation Authority of Marin and Marin Transit District, and her leadership extends across district lines, according to a recent MTC announcement.
The leadership changes within MTC don't stop with Noack and Moulton-Peters, as several other seats have recently exchanged hands. Santa Clara County sees Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga filling in the vacancy left by Cindy Chavez and Palo Alto City Councilmember Patrick Burt stepping in for Abe-Koga as the cities of Santa Clara County representative. In Alameda County, Mayor Marilynn Ezzy Aschraft takes the reins from former Union City Councilmember Carol Dutra-Vernaci, while Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen replaces longtime Supervisor Federal Glover.
Shifts in representation speak to a dynamism that characterizes the MTC as it navigates policy and transportation planning for the nine-county expanse of the San Francisco Bay Area. Alicia John-Baptiste, hailing from San Francisco as the Infrastructure, Climate, and Mobility chief, fills the seat previously held by former Commission Vice Chair Nick Josefowitz. The pattern of changing guard continues with Napa County Supervisor Amber Manfree and San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar stepping into roles formerly occupied by their predecessors. With longstanding figure Jim Spering relinquishing his title after a notable 38-year tenure, Solano County Supervisor and Transportation Authority Chair Mitch Mashburn takes up the mantle for Solano County on MTC.
