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Orange Line rider to represent Boston on MBTA board
By adamg on Sun, 09/24/2023 - 9:39pm
The Dorchester Reporter reports Mayor Wu has named Mary Skelton Roberts, an Orange Line rider from Jamaica Plain who works in the clean energy sector, as the city's new representative on the MBTA board of directors.
Although Boston is by far the largest community in the T district, the city had no direct representation on its board in recent years, although Quincy did. Earlier this year, the state budget signed by Gov. Healey gave Boston a seat.
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Comments
Hell yeah. I think Bostonians
Hell yeah. I think Bostonians even kinda started a war about having representation back in the 1700s?
This seems unproductive.
We need SEVERAL citizens representing us at that table. And no offense, not just someone from the "Clean Energy Sector" who's tight with the Barr Foundation. We need elderly, handicapped, student, and food service workers to give constant feedback on THEIR experiences and find solutions for THEM.
Ya know, just regular people. Not executives who rub elbows with billionaire philanthropists just so we get a few scraps down the road. Great career move for them but unfortunately we need solutions, not piles of cash with strings attached.
Good in theory
Good in theory but do ordinary citizens have the free time to serve on a Board? It's a four-year volunteer commitment.
Retired citizens
Anyone who is retired and uses the T. Another question however is whether serving on this board is an exercise in frustration. There are many boards of whatever in Mass. Many of them have no substance or worse, are run by people who use the platform to play the, "I'm important" game.
On the other hand boards are often composed of people who want to avoid associating with the grubby hoi poloi.
If you want a real representative
of Boston, Wu should have picked someone who uses the T to commute to a real job not someone who is self-employed. A commuter who needs to take public transportation to maybe Burger King or Dunkin Donuts, makes minimum wage and can’t be late for work.
I mean I ride the orange line every day
My Saturday commute started with getting on a train only to see a bloody and uncapped needle on the floor along with a bunch of blood streaks on the wall. What a way to start the weekend.
I get your point, but
that person is also not going to have time to volunteer for an unpaid committee role...
How Far Does The Barr Foundation Have Its Teeth In This City?
Another influencer from the Barr Foundation in local government / civic life?
They already own the Great Divide coverage of the Globe. The Globe freely admits it.
They are somehow authorities on public school "reform" even though the co-founder of the foundation sent his kids to private schools even though they could have gone to BPS.
Ever notice that despite the building boom of the past 40 years in the city that we still have a waterfront parking lot on Sargeants Wharf? It is city owned but somehow every time a development plan gets floated "local opposition" shuts it down. You will never guess where the Barr Foundation's offices is located next too. I am not saying there is correlation but there is a demand for waterfront space and somehow this lot is the same as it was in 1978? I mean we don't need new housing or a new school anywhere fronting on the piece of water we spent billions cleaning up, do we? No, let's keep it parking.
I am sure there is a sense of civic duty / noblesse oblige in there somewhere and yes, they do support some very worthy causes like Bikes Not Bombs, but how about we spread the source of recruits and civic influence around a little bit rather than the same pipeline?
You are all smart for the most part. You wouldn't be manipulated by a billionaire? No way.
Right?
Senior Greeter
A couple of the City Hall Greeters (from different neighborhoods) would be better additions to the board. They hear every complaint from the citizens of Boston to each commuter rail line. All are T users.
An MBTA commuter appoints
An MBTA commuter appoints another Orange Line rider.
Maybe Wu should have appointed Kendra Lara
After all, she rides the T now, right?