Elected Leaders Look To MBTA’s Future As GM Plans To Step Down

MALDEN, MA — MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak will soon step down from his role with the transit authority following an announcement on Tuesday.

As the T now preps for a transition to a new general manager, area officials are eying next steps in what Boston Mayor Michelle Wu recently described as a “critical time” for public transit around Boston in comments to the Boston Globe.

“We now have an opportunity to make needed changes and ensure our public transit system is safe, reliable and first-rate,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in a Tweet this week.

“With visionary leadership, sufficient resources, and effective oversight, we can get the T back on track for its riders and workers—and the people of Massachusetts deserve nothing less,” she later continued.

Poftak announced plans in a letter to T employees on Tuesday. His last day as general manager will be Jan. 3.

While Poftak didn’t address reasons for his departure, this development comes as the T faces a slew of issues and controversies, ranging from subway delays and speed restrictions, to staffing shortages and safety concerns.

Poftak has faced criticism over these topics, prompting mounting calls in recent months for a shakeup in the T’s management.

“The MBTA needs new leadership and a major overhaul of its culture and operations,” State Sen. Jason Lewis told Patch on Tuesday after Poftak’s announcement.

Lewis’s Fifth Middlesex District includes Reading, Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham, Malden and parts of Winchester. He has been vocal in his frustration with the T to date.

Lewis has been joined by local leaders in Malden, Melrose and beyond, where the impacts of the T’s recent Orange Line shutdown were felt strongly.

“I think the T has a lot of bridges to rebuild, figuratively and literally,” Melrose City Councilor Ryan Williams said this week. “What we can't tell is if Poftak stepping down is an acknowledgement of the T's failures, or just him dodging the firing squad when a new governor is sworn in on January 5th.”

Attorney General and Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Maura Healey is currently leading in polls in a race with Republican Geoff Diehl.

Healey had noted her displeasure with the T’s current leadership before Poftak’s announcement this week, vowing in campaign materials to appoint a new general manager if elected to the governor’s office.

Massachusetts’ next governor will indeed now have a new general manager leading the T. They’ll no longer have to handle the question of possibly firing Poftak, though.

Lewis addressed the upcoming transition this week, saying he looks forward to working with legislative colleagues and the new governor to put a new MBTA leadership team in place.

He said work will also include “necessary reforms and required funding for both operating and capital budgets that will put the MBTA on a better path going forward.”

“A safe, reliable, convenient, and affordable public transit system is critical to the future vitality of the Greater Boston region,” Lewis said.

Where Poftak has been criticized as the face of the T through its recent woes, observers, regulators and local leaders including Williams have also said that problems go beyond the agency’s general manager role.

The Federal Transit Authority stepped in earlier this year to review the T following a series of major safety incidents and accidents.

Regulators issued a report in recent months detailing numerous safety shortcomings and issues.

Even before sharing their full report, though, regulators flagged staffing issues in the MBTA’s Operations Control Center over the summer. That prompted the T to cut service frequency on subway routes while pushing to hire more train dispatchers.

Additional staffing shortages have snarled T bus operations, causing service reductions in the bus network.

Through these situations, some at the local level have voiced frustration over the level of communication and dialogue with T officials.

Looking to the future, Williams said he hopes the MBTA's next general manager will put "community outreach and engagement front and center."

"We need a transit system that works for everyone, and we can't agree on what that looks like if we aren't invited to meaningful planning and decision-making conversations,” Williams said this week.

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson commented on Wednesday evening, saying he wanted to "publicly thank Steve for his years of service at the MBTA."

"I know we have had our challenges over the years but it was never around communication as Steve was in constant contact with me," Christenson said. "I wish him all the best moving forward and hope that over the next few months he continues to help the T plan for the future.”

Melrose Mayor Paul Brodeur shared his thoughts on the T and its upcoming transition earlier in the day on Wednesday.

“The priorities we want the T to focus on is simple: ensure safe, reliable, affordable service to the community,” Brodeur said.

Long term, he noted talk of possibly electrifying the MBTA commuter rail, which has been a topic of discussion among T officials in recent years.

“We will continue to advocate for the electrification of the commuter rail as it will be a great benefit to all Melrose residents,” Brodeur said.

Poftak has served as the MBTA's General Manager since 2018. He said this week that he will spend the coming months "focused on preparing for the transition to a new administration and to new leadership" at the MBTA.

"While we have faced and continue to face challenges, I believe in the strength and resilience of the MBTA," Poftak said.