State authorities need some authority

Paul Levy, who headed the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority as it built a massive new sewage-treatment system for greater Boston (on time and on budget, no less) discusses the current MBTA mishegas:

... It is for this reason that single-purpose public authorities have been created: To take the politically unpopular steps necessary to finance essential public services. Legislatures and governors have realized that they need some political distance, or cover, from siting decisions and rate increases. While there is always the danger of authorities becoming too removed and unaccountable, safeguards can be built in to protect against that.

An alternative danger, though, occurs when a Governor steps into the work of a public authority and starts to put his or hands on the levers. It is very hard to pull back after doing so, and it is likely to turn out poorly for the state's chief executive. ...