Newton mayor to governor: Leave Grabauskas alone

Outgoing Newton Mayor David Cohen has waded into the battle over MBTA leadership, writing Gov. Deval Patrick that he fully supports current T General Manager Dan Grabauskas:

Mr. Grabauskas' management of capital spending has, in my opinion, saved the "T." Although 90% of the agency's staggering debt burden preceded his tenure, Mr. Grabauskas has emphasized using precious discretionary capital dollars to improve state of good repair. This has led to improved quality of service and enabled the "T" to get a much better handle on capital costs.

I also bore witness to Mr. Grabauskas' leadership skills and compassion during the tragic night of May 28, 2008 when a trolley operator lost her life in an accident that took place in Newton. During the most difficult of circumstances, Mr. Grabauskas took control of the incident, managing communications with the affected family, media, and the personnel on the ground. Throughout this very unfortunate and volatile event, Dan Grabauskas' leadership abilities made what was a truly tragic event as bearable as possible for the individuals involved.

Entire letter:

July 31, 2009

Honorable Deval L. Patrick
Massachusetts State House
Office of the Governor, Room 280
Boston, MA 02133

Dear Governor Patrick:

I am writing on behalf of Dan Grabauskas, General Manager of the MBTA. In my six years as chairman of the MBTA Advisory Board, the "T's" oversight Board, I have seen first hand the changes he has implemented to promote efficiency and cost savings.

The "T" is in a better place today because of him. But I fear that Mr. Grabauskas is being unfairly blamed for a financial crisis, which he has been warning us of since the day he took office, and which he has been working diligently to avert.

As early as 2005 his office began raising the twin fiscal warning flags of lagging revenues and huge debt service costs. The laudable MBTA reform act of 2000 allocated one cent of the sales tax to the "T." At that time it was widely estimated that this revenue stream would grow by about 5% per year.

When it grew by only 1.4% annually, the general manager was on top of the situation and gave the public and all public decision-makers ample notice that this state of affairs was not sustainable. As early as 2005 his financial team was predicting that if the sales tax continued to under-perform, the "T" would face a fiscal crisis in FY2010.

Not content merely to warn of a crisis, the general manager implemented a series of changes that improved efficiency and saved money. Automated fare collection, which had been stalled for years, is now a reality. Reduction in the number of MBTA personnel, dramatic reduction in absenteeism and overtime, savings in health insurance through the implementation of higher co-pays and changes in plan design, the freeze on salaries for managers, and improvements in the way the "T" purchases vehicles have all played a significant role in reducing the deficit the "T" faces now.

In addition, a new computer-aided GPS based system and rigorous management of on-time performance metrics has strengthened customer safety and system-wide security. The purchase of new buses and rapid transit vehicles and an increased emphasis on cleaning contracts for stations and vehicles have all contributed to the record high ridership the "T" is presently experiencing, and its concomitant record high fare box revenues.

Mr. Grabauskas' management of capital spending has, in my opinion, saved the "T." Although 90% of the agency's staggering debt burden preceded his tenure, Mr. Grabauskas has emphasized using precious discretionary capital dollars to improve state of good repair. This has led to improved quality of service and enabled the "T" to get a much better handle on capital costs.

I also bore witness to Mr. Grabauskas' leadership skills and compassion during the tragic night of May 28, 2008 when a trolley operator lost her life in an accident that took place in Newton. During the most difficult of circumstances, Mr. Grabauskas took control of the incident, managing communications with the affected family, media, and the personnel on the ground. Throughout this very unfortunate and volatile event, Dan Grabauskas' leadership abilities made what was a truly tragic event as bearable as possible for the individuals involved.

The future the "T" faces is a difficult one. The MBTA would be very well served to have Dan Grabauskas' steady hand guiding the agency during these challenging times.

Very truly yours,

David B. Cohen
Mayor

Cc: Dan Grabauskas
Secretary James Aloisi
Members of the MBTA Board of Directors