BOSTON — Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Steve Poftak has announced his resignation, effective Jan. 3.
The Boston Globe reports the resignation comes nearly a full year ahead of the end of his contract, but will coincide with the arrival of a new governor. It will end four years during which Poftak has led the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a series of accidents and other operational issues that led to federal directives to address safety issues.
In an email to staff on Tuesday, Poftak wrote, “While we have faced and will continue to face challenges, I believe in the strength and resilience of the MBTA,” and said he would spend his remaining two months preparint for a transition to a new administration and new leadership.
Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement that Poftak “brought long-term stability to the T when it was sorely needed.” While the Globe reports local officials were largely complimentary in their reactions to Poftak’s announcement, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called his resignation “long overdue” and created “a critical opportunity to make much-needed changes.”
Warren and Sen. Ed Markey were both highly critical of Poftak and MBTA management during an October hearing on the transit agency’s issues [see “FTA has no plans to take over MBTA …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 17, 2022].
If Elizabet Warren feels that she can do any better running this unmanageable mess than she should step-up and take over. I doubt that she has ever ridden one of the “T” trains or busses.
Upvote.