MBTA board chair Thomas Glynn will step down

Tom Glynn, shown here when he was Massport chief executive, in 2018.Keith Bedford

The board of directors for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is getting a new chairman, as Thomas M. McGee, a current board member and former mayor of Lynn, will succeed Thomas P. Glynn, who plans to step down on Nov. 1.

The change in leadership of the nine-member board comes as the MBTA continues to be buffeted by criticism. Planned disruptions to multiple T lines for track repairs have snarled commutes for some in Greater Boston in recent weeks, while the work has resulted in the near-elimination of all slow zones, an accomplishment lauded by many riders. As of Monday, about 1 percent of the tracks remain in slow zones, according to the T.

But just last week federal investigators announced the Green Line train that derailed in Cambridge earlier this month was traveling at a rate that far exceeded the designated speed limit when it went off the tracks. It was the third passenger vehicle derailment for the T this year.

Additionally, earlier this year, a member of the transit agency’s advisory board added “existential” to the long list of ways to describe the problem that no gubernatorial administration in recent history has dared to remedy: The T is still broke and there is no plan to fix it. The business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation recently estimated that state officials need to fix a budget hole of around $700 million a year, now that federal pandemic assistance funds have gone away — a so-called “fiscal cliff” that looms large over the board’s deliberations.

It’s budgetary puzzle will now be inherited by McGee, mayor of Lynn from 2018 to 2022, who previously served as a state senator, including as cochair of the Legislature’s transportation committee.

McGee joined the MBTA board at the same time as Glynn, in April 2023, both appointed by Governor Maura Healey; McGee’s replacement on the board has not yet been named.

“As we face the fiscal cliff situation, it’s great to have someone with McGee’s background who has been in the House and in the Senate, and has been chairman of the transportation committee,” said Glynn, who has been a close adviser to Healey on transportation issues since she was elected governor in 2022. “It just seemed like the opportune time to pass the baton.”

In June, the T’s board unanimously approved a budget of $3 billion for the fiscal year that required, as in years past, the agency drain its entire rainy day fund just to cover day-to-day expenses. They also approved a five-year budget for construction projects that leaves more than $11 billion worth of needs, like station repairs and new train cars, without funding.

Members of a transportation task force appointed by Healey have been discussing solutions to this issue, as part of a broader mission to plan for the future of the state’s transportation infrastructure and its revenue needs, with a deadline to submit proposed solutions by the end of the year.

In a press release announcing the change at the board of directors, Healey was full of praise for both Glynn and McGee. Glynn, said Healey, has worked with state transportation leaders to oversee “a transformative period at the T and worked to improve safety and reliability across the system.”

Healey said McGee “knows how critical our transportation infrastructure is for the communities in and around Boston, and across our entire state. He has been a trusted and reliable voice on the MBTA Board, and I’m excited for the future of the T with his leadership.”

Glynn, 78, had been the general manager of the MBTA under former governor Michael Dukakis, and he was chief executive of the Massachusetts Port Authority under former governors Deval Patrick and Charlie Baker. More recently, he was chief executive of the Harvard Allston Land Co., a development affiliate of Harvard University.

Healey appointed Glynn soon after she hired Phillip Eng to be the MBTA’s general manager. Glynn brought understanding of local politics and powerbrokers to the table, a particularly important skill at the time because Eng was moving here from New York. Now, Glynn said, Eng is up to speed.

“Phil is now a public sector celebrity [in Boston],” Glynn said. “You walk down the street with him and people are high-fiving him, and wishing him well.”

Glynn said he already had a full schedule, with several other board appointments, when he agreed to chair the T board.

McGee said he is hopeful about the future, despite the MBTA’s recent challenges. The notorious slow zones implemented under Eng’s watch to undertake repairs seem to be paying off, McGee said, noting how smooth his own commutes into Boston have been via the Blue Line.

But McGee said he also recognizes “there’s still a long way to go,” particularly with addressing the T’s finances.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” McGee said. “It’s going to take all of us working together to take this on and move the ball down the field.”

Shannon Larson and Emily Sweeney of Globe staff contributed to this report.