By adamg on Wed., 2/11/2015 - 4:22 pm
So it turns out Beverly Scott did drop the mic at her press conference yesterday.
Scott did not specify reasons in her resignation letter, but did praise T workers and said she was proud to have been part of the Patrick administration's transportation team.
She leaves the job in April.
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Comments
She definitely gets the last
By Irmo
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:24pm
She definitely gets the last laugh now.
Let's see anyone say anything specific on what might be done differently with her gone.
The Governor should start
By Jimmy
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:11pm
The Governor should start taking the Bus to the blue lines Wonderland station from Humphrey Street Swampscott.
Has he even step foot on an mbta bus before in his life, or is the bus to scummy for him to ride in.
and then take a walk up Paradise Road
By kitty
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 12:13am
He should then take a walk up Paradise Road at night to see how dangerous it is to be a pedestrian when homeowners and businesses are not required to shovel their sidewalks.
Not sure MBTA disaster
By Silly girl3
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 6:20pm
Not sure MBTA disaster should be all about having the last laugh.
Sounds a little immature.
And I'm finding some of these comments a bit bizarre.
Beverly Scott took on position knowing All problems with system.
Resigning in middle of crisis is not a sign of a Dedicated problem solver.
Being is not Doing. Being can only take you so far.
Well, if you're going to be
By Irmo
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 11:41pm
Well, if you're going to be the scapegoat, you might as well remember that it's a contraction of "escape goat," and then do your part and escape.
Charlie Owns It Now
By anon
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 10:36am
The debt. The old cars that don't work. The deferred maintenance. The well earned reputation for unreliable service. Angry commuters. And did we mention the Big Dig debt on MBTA's balance sheet? Plus, an Olympics coming in 2024 that promises to suck all state resources dry. Oh boy.
*snerk*
By ckd
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:26pm
"proud to have been part of the Patrick administration's transportation team" (though Adam, there's a typo: you have "transportion").
What a beautiful way to send Charlie Baker a raspberry on the way out the door.
Okay, yeah
By M
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:36pm
That struck me the same way, but I couldn't figure out if it was just me.
Well, he refused to talk to
By anon
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:49pm
Well, he refused to talk to her during all these storms, but was happy to blast her in the press. A few weeks after he takes office, she quits.
Tough break for the Governor
By Michael
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:27pm
Firing her was probably the beginning (and, frankly, the entirety) of his plan to restore public confidence in our transit system.
Fixed that for you
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:34pm
Absolutely, blame a decision
By JPHipster
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:16pm
Absolutely, blame a decision made 20 years ago rather than the person who was in charge the last 8. Do you place any blame on Gov Patrick? Do you place any blame on the mis-management of the system? Deval had 8 years of unchecked power with a democrat legislature and somehow couldn't fix the problems created by Baker? That makes Patrick look even more ineffective than we thought he was.
Party affiliation doesn't mean squat...
By b from Ros
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:45pm
Political interests can ignore party affiliation, especially in a very blue state. Public transit happens to be a very low priority. You are sorely mistaken if you think the previous Governor can dictate how every dollar is spent.
At least there are Red/Orange line cars on the horizon...
Let me add a presidential level reference, and potentially inflammatory one. Despite popular opinion and control of the house and senate, JFK was unlikely to ever get the civil rights act passed due to the powers that be in the senate. It took a "Master of the Senate" to bypass this barrier (this is a reference to Robert Caro's books).
One man can only do so much, there are plenty of checks and balances to slow process down...
We all know
By anon²
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:56pm
Infrastructure investment in this state is a city / rural divide (in this state inside 128 vs outside until you hit the Berkshires where they know they can't do it alone).
The problem has always been outside of 128 doesn't want a thing to do with investment in Boston, while sure as hell wanting more than their share of the metro tax base.
It's a microcosm of federal tax pressures at play.
Sadly no one looks at the bigger picture on how these sorts of investments work out for every region as more economic prosperity comes to eastern mass and spreads. You;d think people stuck in the dire traffic on the Pike today, or not finding a place to park in the city would come around to that. The failure of the MBTA this week is making their lives hell as well.
Maybe now is a good time to sweeten any deal with that high speed rail with stops in Worcester and Springfield. I can;t think of anything else that would be as big a boon to the regional economy as being able to get from Springfield to Boston in an hour.
Springfield to Boston in an hour?
By Will LaTulippe
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 7:04pm
I've driven Newton Corner to Springfield in 70 minutes. A train doesn't sound like a great improvement for the cost.
3AM
By anon²
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 7:16pm
After you pack up from the bar doesn't count Will. Please clock the same drive at 445 on the weekday, and try not to put a bullet through your skull.
We've also been through talks on how much roads are subsidized and taken for granted, while trains for some reasonable need to be profitable, or break even at the least. Worse case scenario you can now do your drive in 75 min to Springfield at 5 pm on a weekday; meanwhile Worcester and Springfield get a vital commuter link to Boston, and all the benefits people bringing money back to those areas after work afford.
Would you turn down an opportunity to wipe out 1/3 your housing costs for the same length commute?
Headin out west
By John-W
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 7:55pm
While I agree it would be cool to have some rapid transit out to points in western Mass, I'm not sure the folks out there care that much. I've heard from plenty of people from the Pioneer Valley and further that going North-South is of far more interest to them than heading East.
High speed rail is 180-200mph
By bgl
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 11:56pm
High speed rail is 180-200mph-ish. It should take a bit over an hour to get to NYC, not Springfield...
MBTA service area extends past I-495
By Markk02474
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 6:06am
Cities and towns charged MBTA service assessments most certainly extend to 495, not 128. Even to a town like Harvard, MA in Worcester county with no MBTA service in that town, just commuter rail stops some distance away in Littleton, West Acton, and Ayer. So, people in towns getting charged for service by the MBTA yet getting little to none is a thorn in their side, yet the MBTA extends its hand out for money as far and wide as it can. Not the way to make friends and influence people.
Harvard, MA is close enough to those train stops
By Whurlz
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 7:34am
The Fitchburg line draws large numbers of riders and has grown tremendously in recent years. While I don't have hard data on this, I'd bet good money that folks from Harvard are on that train. Home building in the Nashoba Valley has exploded, too, and the commuter rail is a selling point. Why shouldn't people living there support it economically?
Whoosh
By Markk02474
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 11:37am
The main point is that service extends beyond 495, not 128 as claimed above.
The service is spotty, with little in the way of bus service, parking, subway, and water shuttle. This poor cousin service may then translate into lesser support.
France and other european
By Cal
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 3:55pm
France and other european nations are so far advanced than this country when it comes down to the transit system, maybe they should give us some clues .A major embarresment!
WTF does it take to have an advance transit system in Boston and merto boston.The red line is as old as MIT..The best the mbta can do is replace old train stations to new train stations, mbta has defeated the purpose, first they should buy new advanced trains and then fix the aging tracks and related electrical systems and then replace old stations.yea I heard it before, but where the oldest train system in America and we would like to keep ii that way. Privatize the mbta ! There are loads of MIT and Harvard grads who have billions of dollars and would love to advertise their business name on every train and bus, and rename mbta stations after thier business name. Google are you interested in purchasing the mbta.,
Unchecked power? Hardly.
By ckd
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:49pm
Remember the gas tax increase that he vetoed because he didn't think it was enough to do the job? That'd be the one the legislature overrode his veto on.
Not what I'd call "unchecked power" there.
Absolutely give it a rest Swirly
By Stevil
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:58pm
As the poster above points out - that was almost 20 years ago. I left a job in 1997. If I went back there and found they were still doing something I implemented back then that hadn't been working for over a decade should I say shame on them or shame on me? There have been 4 governors and 10 legislatures since. Hardly anybody lifted a finger to fix this mess other than a few feeble attempts at raising the gas tax.
It's still useful to remember who pushed the T off the
By MC Slim JB
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 6:54pm
rails in the first place. I wish I could enjoy the irony of Baker finding the hot potato he chucked 20 years ago back in his own lap. It's a classic GOP move: create a giant problem by gutting funding for public services, then moan and cavil when the other guys don't fix it.
But there's nothing I find tasty about this particular bit of comeuppance. The city and the Commonwealth desperately need a functioning T, but Baker has already painted himself into a corner with the platform he ran on. I don't hold high hopes that he will show the political will to fix it.
Your move, Charlie. You earned it.
Baker's revenge
By Markk02474
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 6:16am
Selecting a Transportation Secretary from the anti-car, pro- public transit ivory towers of the Dukakis Center and Conservation Law Foundation and thrusting her into the real world!
For the next MBTA chief, let's not choose someone with a doctorate degree, unless its in physics. Its better they have more years of hands on experience running a transportation carrier than ivory tower and paper mill years.
A hair in the donut batter?
By John-W
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 8:56am
Yeah why don't they find someone with some relevant experience?!?! GODDDAMNED HACKS!!
- Chief Executive Officer & General Manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
- Chief Executive Officer & General Manager of the Sacramento Regional Transit District
- General Manager of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
- senior position with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority
- senior position with the New Jersey Transit Corporation
- senior position with the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority
- senior position with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit
- awards from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the American Public Transportation Association, the American Society of Public Administrators and the National Business League.
- doctorate in political science, with a specialization in public administration
Job hopping work record
By Markk02474
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 11:41am
One has to wonder when someone changes jobs so often, not sticking around longer with an employer!
ahhh yes.
By John-W
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 12:05pm
Nothing like a Markk post.
You really are stuck in the 70s
By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 12:17pm
In my husband's industry, someone staying in one place for too long (meaning >5years) has been considered to be suspect since the 1980s.
How many times per week would
By MattL
Thu, 02/12/2015 - 10:54am
How many times per week would you say it's healthy to obsessively blame everything on the CLF?
Why did this state elect a
By J
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:28pm
Why did this state elect a republican governor?
I didn't vote for him, but ....
By Ron Newman
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:30pm
would Martha Coakley have handled this situation any better? Maybe Steve Grossman or Don Berwick would have, but we didn't have that opportunity.
Perhaps a better question
By J
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:34pm
Perhaps a better question would be....why was Martha Coakley the other choice?
An excellent question.
By Scratchie
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:35pm
An excellent question.
Did you vote in the primary?
By anon
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:50pm
Did you vote in the primary? If not its because of you.
Beccause of an idiotic system
By roadman
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:24pm
that a) mandates that only one candidate from a party can advance beyond the primary and b) leaves the decision as to which candidate can advance to a committee, regardless of how the possible candidates did in said primary.
No party committee can override the primary
By Ron Newman
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:29pm
When has that ever happened?
(by the way, the party insiders wanted Steve Grossman. The primary voters didn't agree.)
Perhaps I phrased it badly
By roadman
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 6:10pm
But if the party committee can't override the primary results - then why do we need a committee to formally select their nominee in the first place.
That's the whole *point* of a
By anon
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:34pm
That's the whole *point* of a political party- to back a single candidate. There's nothing forcing anyone to choose either of the establishment parties...
Maybe because
By anon
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:37pm
Democrats put up Martha as their choice. Doug Bennett would have been a better candidate.
The Mass economy would be a lot better if he had run
By tachometer
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:57pm
Just think how much plywood and paint he'd have to buy to plaster the state with his campaign signs.
sad sack guy
By anon
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 6:20pm
Would have been a better option.
Oh shit, doug's back
By Couldn't log in...
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 7:25pm
Oh shit, doug's back
Perfect Storm
By BostonDog
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:37pm
I don't think Coakley would have done any better but Baker has been decidedly childish about the whole thing. I just wish he would admit there is a problem beyond management and you can't cut your way out of a hole.
I didn't vote for Baker but didn't think he'd be too bad. So far he's proving me wrong.
He backed himself into a hole
By Nick
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 5:02pm
I as well neither voted for Baker nor thought he'd be too bad, but my one concern was his absurd and dogmatic no-new-taxes pledge. Baker's a smart enough guy to have known then and to know now that you can't fix the T without more revenue coming from somewhere, but he went down that road anyway.
Now he has to deal with a budget gap, a vital system that desperately needs more money, and a campaign promise that prevents him from doing anything about it. Charlie knows he can raise revenue without turning Massachusetts into the USSR; he'll earn the image of pragmatic manager he desperately tries to cultivate when mans up and admits it.
Regrets - we've had a few
By Belmont
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 7:20pm
First Marty, now Charlie. I don't live in Boston but Marty lost me when he decided we needed to have the New England Patriots parade even if it was the last thing he ever did.
Charlie - well, there you go. I wish (wishful thinking) that we could have a judge declare that the MBTA must be rebuilt - no if, ands, or's buts, etc.
Like the Boston Harbor cleanup - Paul Garrity.
The Republican Gov. candidate lost...
By RM
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 10:29pm
The Republican candidate for Governor lost to her opponent, the Libertarian. There was no Democrat in the race for Governor after the Democratic Primary selected a Law-and-Order Republican Attorney General as candidate.
If this state leans any more Right Wing we're just going to keep flying around in circles counter-clockwise.
Who decided to call her in as
By Noahh
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:39pm
Who decided to call her in as a sacrificial lamb? We finally have a manager who is acknowledging the clusterfuck of noninvestment and neglect the MBTA really is, and then she resigns without specificed reasons? Suspect.
The MA political powers at be must be scared shitless of the pissed off electorate right now, and they clearly need to stifle dissent to preserve themselves.
EDIT:
Then again, I wouldn't blame her for wanting to avoid the political and personal evisceration she's being forced to endure because MA politics refuses to own its shit.
I honestly don't think...
By Michael Kerpan
Wed, 02/11/2015 - 4:34pm
... Baker (or DeLeo) gives a flying f*** about what MBTA users think -- and insofar as they care even a little -- they count on voters forgetting their annoyance before the next election cycle .
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