LOOKING TO MAKE $300K?
New MBTA top job proving hard to fill
The MBTA’s bad reputation is deterring top talent, and making it more difficult to recruit a new general manager, multiple sources told the Herald.
“There’s just not a ton of people jumping up and down for that gig,” one source said, citing conversations held with MBTA employees and among transit leadership in Chicago.
The perception outside the Boston region is that the T is “falling apart,” which is hurting the worldwide search for a general manager — already one of the hardest jobs in the country to recruit for — despite the $300,000-plus salary, the transit watcher said.
Finding a new T leader has been challenging, due to the constant disruptions and “headwinds” facing the agency, said a source familiar with conversations being held with Gov. Maura Healey’s administration regarding the position.
“They’re doing the best they can to generate new candidates, but candidates are not coming out of the woodwork on this one,” the source said.
The MBTA is working to comply with safety directives issued as part of a months-long federal investigation into the safety of its subway system, only the second time such a probe had occurred in the U.S.
Healey has not shared much about the search process other than that it would be finished in a matter of weeks, not months, a timeline she has stuck with since late December. She hired an executive search firm, Krauthamer & Associates, to find the next GM.
Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Healey, reiterated the governor’s past remarks in a statement Wednesday, but did not address a Herald inquiry about whether it has been difficult to find a new GM.
“Our administration and Secretary of Transportation Gina Fiandaca are committed to building a strong team to improve the MBTA’s safety and reliability,” Hand said.
“We expect to have more to share in the near future regarding the hiring of a new general manager and safety chief, and on appointments to the MBTA Board of Directors.”
The position is currently held by Interim GM Jeffrey Gonneville, who took over when Steve Poftak stepped down on Jan. 3. Poftak’s salary was $366,350 in 2021, according to the state comptroller’s office.
One source, citing conversations held between the Healey administration and advisors for the search process, said coming to Boston is a risk for the kind of candidates the governor is trying to attract: people with transit operations experience.
For example, a leader from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, 12th largest in the country, may not find it enticing to leave better weather and a more stable system to move their family across the country for a job with similar pay in the highly politicized Boston region, the source said.
In addition, the person who does take the job could be fired in two years for not being able to solve the challenging issues facing the MBTA, the source said.
“I have no doubt they’re offering some sort of longerterm contract,” the source said. “So it’s less about, am I not have not going to have a paycheck in two years, and more like, is this going to ruin my reputation?”