Harvard Budgetary Consultant: Will Head Massport Authority

David W. Davis, University budget consultant, will assume the directorship of the Massachusetts Port Authority July 17, the Massport board of directors announced last week.

Davis is presently director of the University's Office of Budgets, responsible for supervising the University's $230 million annual budget. No mention of his successor in the Office of Budgets has been made yet.

Davis was one of six persons submitted to Gov, Michael S. Dukakis for the Massport job, formerly held by Edward J. King, ousted late in 1974 by a four-to-two vote of the Authority's directors.

The Massport board also voted to lower the salary of the post from $58,500 a year to $45,000 as part of the Dukakis austerity program. Despite the $13,500 reduction from King's pay. Davis said his salary "still seemed like a lot of money."

Davis said yesterday, "It is an important job, there is a lot to be done and it gives me a sense of public purpose. It offers me the chance to prove my capabilities."

He said his first tasks will be to find more business for the Port of Boston, increase the Massport's borrowing capacity, improve the Port Authority's relationship with neighboring Logan Airport communities and stabilize the longshoreman problem.

He said he will give immediate attention to the Massport's bonding ability-- essential for future development--which has been adversely affected by the larger budget problems facing Massachusetts.

The relationship between Logan Airport and its neighboring communities of East Boston and Winthrop, whose citizens "greatly dislike the Port Authority for some good reasons, and some bad, must be improved for political reasons; it is important to serve those people." Davis said.

Davis said he will also try to improve strained management relations once he is directly involved with Massport.