A former chair of the Department of Public Utilities says it’s time for the company to step apart and let one other state authority assume security oversight of the MBTA.
“I do not think that the DPU should retain oversight of MBTA safety,” mentioned Ann Berwick, who chaired the DPU for 5 years beneath former Gov. Deval Patrick. “Yes, there should be an outside agency with oversight of MBTA safety, but I don’t think it’s the DPU.”
Berwick mentioned she was unsure what company ought to assume oversight of the area’s beleaguered transit company, or whether or not one needs to be created for that goal, however she was clear on one factor.
“Whatever the agency, it should be staffed appropriately,” she informed the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy throughout a Thursday listening to.
Berwick’s remarks adopted two hours of testimony from present DPU management, who talked at size about how staffing challenges have been handcuffing the company, however have been adamant that the DPU was the right state watchdog for the T.
Whether the DPU ought to proceed in its oversight function of the MBTA following a blistering federal report that recognized staffing and operational deficiencies at each businesses was the main focus of the legislative listening to.
Elizabeth Cellucci, Transportation Oversight Division director for the DPU, mentioned the rail transit division has seven full-time staff — one program supervisor, an auditor, three public utilities engineers, and two compliance officers. Six of these staffers are subject brokers doing inspections.
DPU Chair Matthew Nelson mentioned the company plans to double its present full-time employees, which would come with a brand new rail security director, and has roughly $5 million in leftover federal funding to take action.
However, past the issue find folks to fill posted positions, the DPU can also be struggling to search out folks with rail or rail security expertise, Cellucci mentioned.
Much of the present employees has lower than two years of related expertise, and many candidates with that have typically hunt down higher-paying jobs on the MBTA, or solely keep for a brief time period earlier than leaping ship to these extra profitable rail positions, she mentioned.
“It’s not for lack of effort,” Cellucci mentioned. “It’s not up to me to decide where the rail transit division is located. No matter where it is, I think there’s still going to be this issue of finding people who are interested in becoming experts on rail safety.”
Mike Barrett, Senate chair of the joint committee, favors transferring T oversight transfer from the DPU to a quasi-independent state authority, akin to the Ethics Commission or Office of Campaign & Political Finance. Rail transit employees would transfer over to the brand new entity, he mentioned.
However, Nelson mentioned turning the DPU’s small rail transit division into its personal company would require including various providers, akin to HR, authorized and administrative jobs, that will not make sense financially.
“You can move it but the way I look at it right now is it’s just a geographical cure,” Cellucci mentioned. “It’s just taking it and moving it somewhere else. There are still going to be the same challenges no matter where you go.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”