David Howard must like a challenge. Why else would anyone volunteer to lead a startup, 27-person board charged with carrying out a 30-year transit plan? Howard chairs the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority, a new governing body created by the state legislature late last year.
The authority came into being when local voters approved a 1-cent sales hike in November. The increase, which pushed the rate to 8.25 cents, went into effect July 1. The authority is responsible for steering $17.5 billion to improve bus service and build commuter- and light-rail projects.
The tax is projected to generate $19.4 billion over 30 years, supplemented by an anticipated $5.9 billion worth of matching federal transit grants…