Residents of Matthews, it's time to gear up for some civic engagement as your town is on the lookout for a representative to sit on the newly minted Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA), the authority designated to steer the future of public transit across Mecklenburg County; encompassing buses, rail, and cutting-edge micro-transit initiatives. This comes hot on the heels of the recently passed Projects for Advancing Vehicle-Infrastructure Enhancements (PAVE) Act and the affirmative nod from voters for the one-cent sales tax bump this past November.
Those interested in playing a pivotal role can expect a four-year term, though some get just a two-year stint after a random selection during the MPTA's inaugural gathering, and if you're the serial type, you can serve up to two back-to-back terms before tapping out.
Citizens eager to toss their hats into the ring should have a Matthews address and, while all are welcome, the magic wand is more likely to tap those with skills in law, engineering, the bread and butter of public transit, urban planning chops, or the savvy of economic development; applications are being collected through November 30, and the town might come back at you for more details, like your resume, so have it polished and ready to go. Dive into the application over at Matthews official town website, and maybe you will be the lucky local shaping the way we all will move in the future.
