[politics, MA] Meanwhile, in Massachusetts...
While the DNC is ongoing, our Govn'r decided to touch base with his state by doing a little live-blogging over on Blue Mass Group, taking questions from the readers there. The following exchanged happened (extracted from interleaving with other comments and replies):
From Lynne: While restructuring the MBTA's debt will obviously do a lot to improve the situation, if it works, what does the Governor think about the current structure of the quasi-fiscally-independent MBTA and does that need to change...and how would it need to change?
From Governor Deval Patrick:Lynn, on the quasi-public transportation agencies, without singling out the MBTA, I make no secret of the fact that I think the structure is unwise. Until we came to office, the quasis pursued completely unconnected initiatives: that's how a couple of years ago we got the Turnpike was moving to eliminate tolls at the same time the MBTA was looking to increase fares. The two initiatives create competing incentives in the public. Under current rules, I am unlikely to get control of all the various boards of those quasis until sometime in my second or third term. My preference would be to collapse all those bureaucracies into one and prsue a more coordinated transportation strategy, even allowing ( as their financial health improves) for cross subsidization. We are working on such a project now, called "MassTrans."
Wait... Our governor knows what competing incentives are and why they're bad? *Happy boggle*
From Lynne: While restructuring the MBTA's debt will obviously do a lot to improve the situation, if it works, what does the Governor think about the current structure of the quasi-fiscally-independent MBTA and does that need to change...and how would it need to change?
From Governor Deval Patrick:Lynn, on the quasi-public transportation agencies, without singling out the MBTA, I make no secret of the fact that I think the structure is unwise. Until we came to office, the quasis pursued completely unconnected initiatives: that's how a couple of years ago we got the Turnpike was moving to eliminate tolls at the same time the MBTA was looking to increase fares. The two initiatives create competing incentives in the public. Under current rules, I am unlikely to get control of all the various boards of those quasis until sometime in my second or third term. My preference would be to collapse all those bureaucracies into one and prsue a more coordinated transportation strategy, even allowing ( as their financial health improves) for cross subsidization. We are working on such a project now, called "MassTrans."
Wait... Our governor knows what competing incentives are and why they're bad? *Happy boggle*