The MBTA Advisory Board has full confidence in Steve Poftak as MBTA General Manager. His nearly 4-year combined tenure as Acting General Manager and General Manager has brought much needed stability to the MBTA. The structural deficit experienced by the MBTA for the past 20 years caused needed maintenance to be skipped and required vehicle replacements to be delayed. Without sufficient revenue for its operating budget, necessary safety and other oversight positions went unfilled. For 20 years, routine maintenance and infrastructure upgrades were deferred again and again. Steve Poftak has overseen a tripling of capital spending during his tenue, successfully steered the MBTA through the ravages of the COVID pandemic, and brought a new focus to basic systems maintenance and safety. No mortal person could fix 20 years of deferred maintenance, or improve the performance of subway cars from the Nixon Administration in less than 4 years. Steve Poftak deserves praise for moving the MBTA as far forward as he has. While there is a long way to go, Steve Poftak has our support to continue leading these efforts.
MBTA Advisory Board Statement of Support for MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak
