HAVERHILL – Audits are a process typically thought of as painful inconveniences to businesses and organizations. Recently, however, several Merrimack Valley mayors joined with State Auditor Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) to highlight the positive experience that went along with a routine audit of MeVa.
“While audits can be daunting, Auditor DiZoglio and her office understood from the start how important Regional Transit Authorities – RTAs – are to the communities we serve,” said Noah Berger, executive director of MeVa.
“They worked with us as a partner with the goal of serving our passengers. We are thankful to the Auditor’s team for their review of our operations and are pleased to report that we have implemented all of their recommendations, which has made our service even better.”
MeVa, also recognized as the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVTRA), is the public transportation agency serving 16 Merrimack Valley communities.
To bring attention to that partnership, the mayors of Amesbury, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, and Newburyport – five of the sixteen communities served by MeVa – hopped on a bus along with Auditor DiZoglio, recording a social media video that brings attention to the successful audit and accessibility of services provided by MeVa.
“Organizations like MeVa are a great example of how community partners can implement recommendations from our audit findings to increase access and opportunity for all across the region,” said Auditor DiZoglio. “They demonstrate that, by working together, we can accomplish more to improve the way state systems and resources perform and hold organizations accountable across state government in order to make government work better for everyone.”
“Many people rely on MeVa for personal and professional travel,” said Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove, who also serves as chair of the MeVa Advisory Board. “I’m more than happy to have a little fun on social media, especially if it helps us spread the word about this amazing resource.”
The sixteen communities served by MeVa include Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, North Reading, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury.
“People are always surprised when I say I use MeVa to travel to my weekly dialysis appointments,” explained the Methuen Mayor.
“I think those same people are just as surprised to learn that the Merrimack Valley has the gold standard of public transportation services. I hope this video helps raise awareness of the services available, and the ease of accessing them.”
“Very happy and satisfied to have been invited to this project which brings us first-class information to our community,” said Lawrence Mayor Brian A. DePeña. “I must say that I had a lot of fun. Let’s keep up the good work!”
“Over the last couple of years, MeVa has implemented wonderful changes to improve services, making it free and more accessible,” said Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett. “Haverhill is proud to host MeVa’s administrative offices, but even more so to have them as a strong partner to the city in getting residents and our workforce where they need to go across the Merrimack Valley.”
“MeVa has been a tremendous partner to Newburyport and I look forward to continue to find creative ways to engage our residents with all that MeVa offers,” said Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon.
To see the video featuring MeVa, the mayors, and Auditor DiZoglio, please visit the Office of State Auditor’s pages on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or X (formerly Twitter).
For more information on the audit of MeVa, as well as other state entities, please visit https://www.mass.gov/lists/all-audit-reports. ◊