On Friday morning, Gov. Healey announced her appointment of three new members to the MBTA Board of Directors, including a new board chair.
The three new appointees are:
- Thomas Glynn, the new Chair of the MBTA board, ran the MBTA in the 1980s under Governor Michael Dukakis and also served as a transportation adviser on Gov. Healey's transition team,
- Thomas McGee, who was the Mayor of Lynn from 2018 to 2022 and who, in 2019, testified in front of the former MBTA board several times to lobby for an electrified regional rail system, especially on the Newburyport-Rockport Line;
- Eric Goodwine, a commercial banker who serves on the board of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce's Regional Strategic Opportunities Foundation and the Seven Hills Foundation, organizations that are affiliated with Worcester's Zero-Fare Coalition.
“I am confident that each of them will focus on ensuring the highest level of safety and service that the people of Massachusetts deserve," Gov. Healey said in a press release issued Friday morning.
With these three new appointments, Gov. Healey will have replaced a plurality of the MBTA board of directors with her own appointments (these three new appointments join Healey's pick to run MassDOT, Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca, who joined the MBTA board after her appointment earlier this year).
The new board members will replace former Chair Betsy Taylor, Scott Darling, and Mary Beth Mello.
Those three board members were all appointed by ex-Governor Charlie Baker in fall of 2021, and in spite of a rocky tenure that included a nearly-unprecedented federal safety audit, severe workforce shortages, and major service disruptions, they frequently drew criticism for their apparent lack of interest in the T's problems.
In the Governor's press announcement, new board chair Thomas Glynn suggested that he would take a different approach.
“It's time that the MBTA Board takes on the sense of urgency that this crisis demands. We can’t settle for the status quo – we need bold action to meet this moment and address the challenges facing the T right now," said Glynn. "I’m thankful for the Healey-Driscoll Administration for this opportunity to serve and deliver for Massachusetts, and I’m looking forward to working alongside the incredible team they’ve put together.”
