The MBTA’s chief security officer, Ron Ester, is resigning on the finish of the month.
Ester, who was tapped to guide the crucial division three years in the past, is credited with enhancing security within the T system throughout a tumultuous time on the company.
MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng mentioned Ester was instrumental in implementing suggestions, insurance policies and practices that stemmed from a 2019 Safety Review Panel report, which was commissioned by the T, and final 12 months’s federal investigation into the area’s beleaguered subway system.
“I am grateful for Ron’s service to the MBTA,” Eng mentioned in a Tuesday letter to workers. “He has made a real difference in the safety of our system and he will be missed.”
Ester’s resignation is efficient Aug. 30. He selected to depart the company, MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo mentioned.
“I am proud of the work that we have done to make our system safer during my tenure, despite the many challenges that we have faced,” Ester mentioned in an announcement. “The MBTA has been underinvested for decades, and it has taken a lot of hard work to make our system as safe as it is today.”
He mentioned it was “bittersweet” to be stepping away from his function, realizing that there “is still more work to be done,” however mentioned the company is in “good hands” with Eng on the helm.
“I wish him and everyone at the T all the best in the future,” Ester mentioned.
Ester was appointed the T’s chief security officer in August 2020, following a 28-year profession on the Chicago Transit Authority.
He was paid $253,816 in 2022, in keeping with state payroll data.
Eng has designated Rod Brooks, senior advisor for capital, operations and security, as Ester’s interim alternative, whereas the T conducts a seek for the high-paying place.
Brooks joined the T in late July, as certainly one of Eng’s 4 New York hires. He most not too long ago labored as senior vice chairman of operations on the Long Island Rail Road, the place Eng was president from 2018 to March 2022.
Given his $120 per hour consulting charge, Brooks’ pay can be akin to what Ester was making, in a full-time management function, at roughly $249,600.
His compensation won’t change in his momentary function, Pesaturo mentioned.
Brooks can be tasked with offering “leadership and oversight of the Safety Department,” at a time when the T is working to adjust to quite a few federal directives issued as a part of final 12 months’s security administration inspection.
The Federal Transit Administration launched a uncommon investigation into the T’s subway system in April 2022, after a fatality occurred on the Red Line. Safety failures have persevered for the reason that probe, which concluded final August.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”