‘Very, very dire’ place
Wu names city T board member at critical juncture
Mayor Michelle Wu appointed climate advocate Mary Skelton Roberts to Boston’s first-ever seat on the MBTA Board of Directors yesterday — a long-awaited step in the midst of what Wu called a “very, very dire place” for the T.
“With her passion and expertise in transportation policy, deep involvement in community and daily experience as a regular T rider, Mary will work closely with our team to ensure that Boston residents are fully represented in building the transit system our communities deserve,” Wu said in a city announcement.
The MBTA governing board is made up of the Secretary of Transportation and eight members, six of whom are appointed by the governor. After years of advocating, Boston won the right to appoint one member to the board and gain a direct voice in governing the region’s public transit in the most recent state budget.
The mayor opened up a public call for comment on the selection process in August — with over 150 people submitted ideas and nearly 100 expressed interest in serving, according to the city — culminating in the announcement of Skelton Roberts’s appointment yesterday.
She will join the other board members at the MBTA Board meeting Thursday morning.
Skelton Roberts, a regular bus and Orange Line rider, has a background in “transportation policy to advance climate solutions and foster thriving communities,” the release states.
She is currently president of the Climate Beacon Conference, a senior advisor to the Climate Beacon Project and member of Governor’s Latino Empowerment Council, among other boards and organizations. Previously she worked as senior vice president at the Energy Foundation and, for over a decade, co-director of climate at the Barr Foundation.
Priorities for the new appointee listed in the release include: improving bus rider experience and making trips faster, expanding fare free transit, streamlining pricing on the Commuter Rail within the city and more transparently communicating with riders.
Skelton Roberts is a Jamaica Plain resident, native Spanish speaker and has a B.A. from the University of Southern California and Master’s from MIT, the city said. She noted she’s grateful for the chance to “highlight the priorities” of everyday MBTA riders.
“The urgency for efficient transportation and transit systems that value the safety of both workers and riders has never been more apparent, and I’m excited to start contributing to critical conversations and decisions that help create a healthier city,” said Skelton Roberts.
In a WBUR radio appearance yesterday, Wu rated the T’s current performance a 4.8, with 5 being the worst.
“Over the all of these decades, we are in a very, very dire place just in terms of service delivery,” said Wu, noting it’s failing the “bare minimum” of getting people to work on time.
Despite the failing grade, Wu said Gov. Healey and General Manager Phillip Eng have “done more in eight months for the MBTA than we’ve seen in decades of previous Republican governors’ tenure.”
But Wu indicated an upcoming deadline for real planning and improvement, noting the administration’s “window of needing to get settled” is ending.
“We know how much there is to do,” Wu said. “But just give a sense of what are the milestones we should be looking for, when can we expect this to happen or that next step to be taken, so that we can still have a sense of accountability and not just slide into complete disengagement and disillusionment with the system.”