Dizoglio blasts T over audit
A day after federal transportation officials released startling details on additional safety issues plaguing the MBTA, two candidates for auditor are calling for a safety audit of the embattled agency, and gubernatorial hopefuls are also weighing in.
Auditor candidate, state Sen. Diana Dizoglio, Dmethuen, citing new details from the Federal Transit Administration that show “glaring safety issues and a dysfunctional management process at the MBTA,” kicked things off Thursday by saying she would conduct an audit.
“It is unacceptable that MBTA management has put riders and workers at risk with shoddy oversight and a lack of plans to fix track sections that are in disrepair,” Dizoglio said.
Dizoglio’s plan largely drew a collective shrug from Republican candidate Anthony Amore and Democratic primary opponent Chris Dempsey, who described it as vague and lacking detail.
“Senator Dizoglio’s statement today is more empty calories from a campaign that is long on press releases, but short on policy ideas and executive experience,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey, a longtime transit advocate, said he would instead use the authority of the auditor’s office to ensure the recommendations from the federal investigation are followed by MBTA management.
Amore said he’s on board with an audit, but questioned Dizoglio’s commitment to transparency, when she has been “touting the endorsement” of the T’s union president Jim Evers, who voted to keep the MBTA pension system from public records in 2014 after a $25 million loss.
Amore, who cited his federal transit experience through the Department of Homeland Security, also questioned Dempsey’s commitment to the T, saying that he left his former position as assistant secretary of MASSDOT after six months.
Gubernatorial candidates Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat, and Republicans Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty also weighed in on their concerns with the MBTA, following the FTA’S orders for it to take immediate corrective action on four safety issues.
Democratic State Sen. Sonia Chang-diaz’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Healey said she would be closely reviewing the federal agency’s short-term directives, and final recommendations later this summer, and “as governor, she will be committed to making public transportation more safe and reliable for all.”
Doughty said that he would do what he’s done at his business — he would be accountable and transparent to ensure everyone’s safety.
Diehl said: “It’s bad enough when mismanagement and disrepair lead to shortcomings in the system, but it’s even worse when systemic issues cause actual physical harm. Having a full and fair independent audit of the system is a good first step toward fixing what’s broken.”