As it works through its profound financial woes, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority needs to present a compelling face to the public. Beverly Scott, who currently heads the transit agency in Atlanta, seems well-equipped to fill that role. After a long public interview Monday, in which Scott touted her efforts to sway Georgia legislators and made it obvious she’d already begun chatting up T employees, the MBTA board chose her as the new general manager of the Boston-area system. The bet, presumably, is that an outsider’s eyes may help identify problems that grizzled T veterans might overlook, and that her personable approach will go over well as Beacon Hill gears up to tackle transportation funding issues early next year.
Yet while the T needs to have a capable, consumer-oriented leader who can make the best of a challenging situation, it also needs Governor Patrick and the Legislature to deal with the broader transportation financing problem that engulfed the state during the Big Dig era. Scott cannot succeed in her new task until Beacon Hill finds a sustainable way of paying down transportation debt, clearing a backlog of necessary repairs in all the state’s highway and transit systems, and finding a way to finance future improvements.
Comments
If ever there was an area ripe for the relief that public transportation could provide it would the Somerville/Medford Green Line extension project. This area is the most densely populated area in New England. I've read the highest concentration of triple-decker housing in the entire nation. The project was promised and the delays are now legendary. Delays are now hampering efforts to invest in local real estate. Any new manager who wants to create a great impression should make that project a priority.
The Green Line extension is a wonderful idea. Unfortunately no one is going to pay for it so the T will divert money from its 3 billion dollar maintenance backlog to cover it. During this AM rush the Red Line once again melted down because of the failure of one of the decrepit 44 year old trains. The people who were 30-60 minutes late for work are paying for the expansion. Inevitably one of these trains will suffer catastrophic failure. The people who will be hurt will really be paying for the expansion.
As with any improvement, honesty and integrity are the foundation of success. This means that you must be up front with
with problems and communicate them immediately to not only your team, but to executive state officers.
Contain any greed you may feel. You may have the job, but you will need to prove yourself every day that you work here in Ma.
sceptics abound here, because we have had too many corrupt officials in this state who steal, practice nepotism, dirty dealing for self enrichment, and lots of pols. and other officials who have gone to prison.
The people of Ma. care. we will follow your career with interest for that reason. Good luck!
I wonder why the globe doesn't allow comments on the Silber editorial?
Prople should be aware the T's financial mess is attributable to GOP administrations, who took all the credit for reducing T costs but only forced the T to borrow, costing much more. Some things never change.
Nothing in this article about the most recent State audit of the MBTA which reported that $123.8 million in fare box cash receipts were deposited — yet the automated fare collection system recorded over $225.5 million in fare box cash receipts. It appears the MBTA failed to properly keep track of $100 million in fares collected during a five-year period that ended in June 2011.
If Bump’s office examined the T’s books from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2011 - can someone please explain if former Massachusetts auditor, JOE DeNucci found missing MBTA funds?
As someone who worked for GaDOT in college...Miss Scott - thing work vastly different up here. I wish you the best of luck at an impossible task - but I am also afraid this state will eat you alive and a new director will be in place 1-2 years tops, just like all the MassDOT leadership positions.