State Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey checked in on the current state of the DOT. – Photo by Andrew Firestone

Somerville Chamber hosts Richard Davey

By Andrew Firestone

The business community of Somerville had the opportunity to meet with State Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey Tuesday, March 6, where he outlined the current state of the DOT. Davey was candid about his problems in reigning in the $1.2 billion operating deficit of the DOT, which is responsible for all public transportation matters, including MassPort and the MBTA.

Davey was invited to speak at the monthly Somerville Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Government Affairs, who sponsored, and was introduced by Tom Bent of Bent Electric and Somerville’s representative in the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

Davey began by praising Mayor Joseph Curtatone for being a “tireless advocate” for transit implementation in Somerville, adding that without his efforts, the Orange Line stop in Assembly Square and the progress on the GLX might never have come to fruition.

His talk and his answers for questions ran the gamut from land use to departmental reform. Davey said that the consolidation of the various departments within the DOT over the last two and a half years was necessary, and he continued to simplify the bureaucracy that existed.

“Today the DOT is focused on you, our customer,” he said.

He added that the DOT had saved hundreds of millions of dollars by initiating pension reform as well as moving employees to the GIC.

Davey also acknowledged the dire straits that the current system was working under. “Today’s transportation is something we cannot afford, and the one we want is something we certainly can’t afford.”

He did, however, say that transparency from himself and the department was a necessity in gaining the trust of the public again. He said that he and those that work with the MBTA would “not duck the tough questions.” He also announced the beginning of quarterly accountability meetings so that the management of the MassDOT would be handled in a more immediate and timely fashion.

As far as the inner organization goes, Davey also talked of the “We’ve Always Done It This Way” campaign, which would allow employees of MassDOT to come up with their own solutions to problems of cost and customer experience. The top three, he said, would receive bonuses.

But the main concern in Somerville, aside from possible service cuts, was the GLX, and Davey answered candidly of how he proposed to get federal funding from the New Starts program and the Federal Transit Administration to help bridge the budget gap and get the Green Line further into Somerville.

“The FTA and the administrator, Peter Rogoff, are well aware of the Green Line Extension being a top priority of the Patrick Administration, and obviously the Governor enjoys some close relationships in Washington and continues to remind folks in Washington that the GLX and South Coast Rail are top transportation projects for us,” he said.

“The new head of New Starts for FTA, Lucy Garliauskas, was the federal highway administrator here in Massachusetts,” he said. “You don’t have to show Somerville on a map to her. She knows exactly what we’re talking about, and exactly the importance of the Green Line Extension. Congressman Capuano continues to remind folks as a member of the transportation committee that this is a top priority.

In terms of attention in Washington, I don’t think we lack for attention in Somerville. The question will be to continue to move our process alone, to continue to move along the New Starts process, and then the challenge for us is really demonstrating, as we have in the past, to show that we’ve got a finance plan in place for the MBTA for the long term.”