Governor Baker Appoints 5 Members to New MBTA Control Board

By Frank O’Laughlin (Patch staff)

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker named five members to a newly created board in an effort to rectify the many issues that have been plaguing the MBTA.

Each appointed board member comes as part of the $38.1 billion state budget which Baker signed into law Friday.

“Fixing the MBTA will be a complex task, but moving forward with a Fiscal Management and Control Board dedicated solely to the T’s operations and finances is an important step toward delivering accountability for taxpayers and riders,” said Governor Baker.

Baker selected former MBTA official Joseph Aiello to serve as the chairman of the board.

Other members of the board include:

• Lisa Calisle, CFO at Perkins School for the Blind
• Brian Lang, President at Unite Here Local 26 union
• Steve Poftak, Executive Director at Rapport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard University
• Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Executive Director at 128 Business Council

Baker moved to create the board after years worth of major issues were exposed by this past winter’s brutal snowstorms.

“By signing this bill into law we now have two crucial tools to begin fixing the MBTA, a dedicated group focused solely on the T and new tools that will allow the MBTA to operate more reliable services, repair critical infrastructure and explore more efficient ways to serve our riders,” said MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack.

Board members will begin meeting on Tuesday as they look to get the MBTA back on track.