Out with MASSterList: Rich Davey

Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Mass General Hospital have been recognized as two of the Best Hospitals in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. This honor reflects our commitment to exceptional care, groundbreaking research, and taking a leadership role as an integrated health care system. Thank you to our incredible teams for improving patients’ lives every day.

Happy Friday, everybody. When I returned to MASSterList earlier this summer, one of the first things I did was reach out to Massport about a sit-down with their CEO, whom I knew from my days covering the MBTA and MassDOT. The result is this interview, conducted over eggs and coffee (cold brew for me, decaf for him). Let me know if you have a suggestion for the next “Out with MASSterList.” In the meantime, here’s Rich Davey.

When Rich Davey walked through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s foyer for the last time as the agency’s NYC Transit president, the crowd that greeted him included a staffer who held up a sign that read “BOSTON SUCKS.” An addendum in smaller print followed: “Davey OK.”

Amid the blaring of the bagpipers who were part of the send-off, Davey laughed, and made his way to the exit, with his security detail in tow. “A former cop, but yeah, they didn't tell me that until after I said yes to the job,” Davey said, recalling the moment as he slid into a booth at the Trident bookstore and cafe, located just around the corner from his Back Bay apartment.

“Thankfully, there's a little more anonymity in this role,” Davey added. He had just hit the one-year mark in the top job at Massport, the quasi-public agency that runs Logan International Airport and the terminals of the Port of Boston.

“The beauty about Massport is there's sort of the day-to-day operations, like, why can't we get the bags to baggage claim more quickly?” Davey told me. “But you also have the mindshare to think big and think strategically. And some of the roles I've had, it's been much more blocking and tackling the day-to-day, particularly at New York City Transit.”

Davey, as well as his media relations director Jennifer Mehigan, joined me at Trident to talk about his career, the high school classmate now running Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and whether he harbors any political ambitions. Davey ordered the scrambled egg special, with an English muffin, while I went for the smoked salmon and eggs and Mehigan got the frittata.

Davey has held a variety of transportation sector jobs over his career and he is known for his sense of humor. He needed it while working on the ill-fated Boston bid for the 2024 Olympics. (“My therapist says I don’t have to talk about that,” he joked.)

Jobs continue below the fold — post a job

MassDOT is rushing a secretive 35-year lease with Applegreen, despite inflated numbers, weak financials, and better alternatives. KPMG flagged serious flaws, yet the deal moves forward. Public oversight is missing, and $900M in rent is at risk. Legislators must act now. Before signing away public assets for decades, the MassDOT Board must pause and review. Learn more.

10:30 | Boston officials host a press conference to announce preparations as college students move in across the city. Officials will share information on how students can access services, including 311, mattress pickup, inspections, parking restrictions, and waste disposal. | 20 Linden St., Allston | Livestreamed on boston.gov.

KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller's guest is Ed Davis, the former Boston police commissioner. They discuss the deployment of National Guard troops to cities, the expansion of ICE, the crime rate in Boston and the proliferation of bike/scooter mobs.

NBC10 BOSTON: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard interviews Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. The guest is Mary Skipper, the Boston Public Schools superintendent.

‘POLITICAL THEATER’: Gov. Maura Healey called the prospect of a federal takeover of Boston’s South Station “more political theater” from the Trump administration. – MassLive 

SIGNED AND SEALED: The Massachusetts Seal, Flag and Motto Advisory Commission offered up three designs each for a new flag and a new seal. – Boston Globe

DRINK UP: Sen. Julian Cyr’s push to bring back happy-hour drink discounts makes the Wall Street Journal, as the lawmaker pitches the proposal as a way to fix a “fun crisis” in Massachusetts. – WSJ

LOCKED-IN SPENDING: The state is seeing a runup in the budgets of county sheriffs, due to no-cost calls and salary adjustments. – State House News Service

Boston is at an economic crossroads. The vitality of its downtown business district, drained by the COVID-19 epidemic, continues to slowly rebound but has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Commercial property values have declined, creating the potential for major budget challenges for the most property-tax dependent big city in America. With Boston’s financial underpinnings at risk, what is the strategy and vision for Boston’s future, particularly for its major business districts? Join business and community leaders to explore challenges and opportunities ahead. Register here!

INTERNAL AFFAIRS: A consultant’s report finds New Bedford’s police department is in desperate need of modernization and an increase in accountability. – New Bedford Light

SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS: Cambridge-based vaccine maker Moderna continues to face financial challenges despite receiving some FDA approvals. – Boston Business Journal

‘KING’S TROOPS’: Asked about President Trump’s potential deployment of the National Guard to Boston, Rep. Jake Auchincloss said, “Greater Boston refused to quarter the king’s troops 250 years ago, and we should refuse to quarter the president’s troops now.” – MassLive

BOSTON ELECTIONS: Bill Galvin, the state’s elections chief, said placing the Boston elections department into receivership is a “much more intensive exercise than I envisioned” after the 2024 presidential election. – Boston Globe

GUESSING GAME: The Boston Policy Institute, started by two Democratic operatives, is holding an “election guessing game,” encouraging people to predict outcomes in Boston, Brockton and Somerville ahead of the September preliminaries. – Via Google Docs

DARK MONEY: A dark money group is funneling money to Democratic online influencers, offering some up to $8,000 a month. – WIRED

JOB LOSSES: An analysis shows several states, including Virginia and New Jersey, lost jobs in the second quarter of 2025 as the Trump administration slashed away at the federal government. – Stateline

_{– Sponsored by Eversource Energy –}

Air conditioners and fans are working hard as the hot and humid weather settles in across New England. In Massachusetts, customers use approximately 30% more electricity on average during the summer months to keep their homes and businesses cool, but heat waves and long stretches of sweltering weather can drive that number up even higher. No matter what electric rates are, when your usage increases, so does your bill — READ MORE

‘Storrow-ing’ is a problem not just in Boston

Northampton schools fell short in supporting disabled students, state says

Gaps in service one year after closures of Carney, Nashoba Valley hospitals

Boston changes up school bus system after death of five-year-old in Hyde Park

Negotiation session with Republic trash company considered a ‘bust’

Do you have an open job you'd like to feature here? Click here to place a job board order, or email Dylan Rossiter at [email protected].

Digital Content Manager, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

Vice President of Finance & Administration, Community Foundation for MetroWest

Program Coordinator I, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

Director of Campaigns, Massachusetts Public Health Alliance

Vice President for Environmental Justice, Conservation Law Foundation

Director of Administration and Finance, Town of Acton

Building Commissioner, Town of Southborough

Websites Project Attorney, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

Research Director, Boston Municipal Research Bureau

VIEW ALL JOBS