THOMAS GLYNN is stepping down as chair of the MBTA board of directors on November 1 and being replaced by his colleague on the board, Thomas McGee.
McGee, a former state lawmaker and mayor of Lynn, is very similar to Glynn in a policy sense. Both men share a belief that the MBTA is key to the long-term economic well-being of eastern Massachusetts and deserving of strong state support.
But the two men have very different leadership styles. Where Glynn is very strategic, to the point, skilled at insider politics, and accustomed to managing large, complicated organizations, McGee is a politician accustomed to talking to crowds and making broad pronouncements.
Gov. Maura Healey appointed Glynn to the chair’s post in the hope he could put the MBTA on a comeback trajectory. On his watch, Phillip Eng was brought in as the general manager of the MBTA and given broad authority and resources to oversee track improvements, expand the staff, and restore order.
McGee is taking over as the board’s focus is changing from steadying the ship to obtaining the necessary resources to continue improvements. The T is facing an immediate fiscal cliff that is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $700 million and longer-range problems that could require major investments down the road.
Officials say Healey is hoping that McGee’s familiarity with Beacon Hill and his belief in a strong and well-funded MBTA can get the Legislature on board to deliver more money now and a funding mechanism for transportation improvements in the future.
Of course, the Healey administration hasn’t formulated a funding plan for the MBTA or the larger transportation system yet. A task force appointed by the governor is expected to come up with a long-term funding plan by the end of this year. But a task force that started out with unbridled optimism earlier in the year now finds itself plagued with uncertainty after the secretary of transportation angered the governor by hyping revenue options too aggressively in a speech to advocates.
In a brief telephone interview, Glynn said McGee’s skills seem well suited to the needs of the T at this time. As for himself, the 78-year-old Glynn said it was the right time to step aside. “It just seemed like it was the right moment.”
Both McGee and Glynn joined the MBTA at the same time in April 2023. McGee previously was mayor of Lynn from 2018 to 2022 and served in the Legislature from 1994 to 2018. He started in the House and then moved to the Senate in 2002, becoming the chair of the Transportation Committee in 2003.
Glynn had previously served as general manager of the MBTA, CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority, and chief operating officer of what is now called Mass General Brigham.
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