What’s next for MassDOT after Healey tags Phil Eng for top job?

Big Pharma has a new scheme that will make them even more money: undermining patients' bargaining power and blaming anyone who gets in their way. If we want to solve the Rx cost crisis, we need to hold Big Pharma accountable. To find out how, go to saveourbenefitsma.org.

“We have a train man,” House Speaker Ron Mariano said one year into Phil Eng’s tenure, both praising the MBTA general manager and explaining why state lawmakers were loosening the budgetary purse strings for the beleaguered public transit agency.

But the downside of doing a good job means sometimes you get more work. In Eng’s case, the train man is now taking on planes and automobiles. Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday tapped him as the interim secretary and CEO overseeing the state Department of Transportation. (He’ll remain the MBTA’s GM, too. A national search for transportation secretary, as was the case with Eng’s hiring at the T, is expected.)

Eng replaces Monica Tibbits-Nutt, who faced a tough road as Healey geared up for a reelection campaign. She weathered several controversies after she remarked that the state could begin charging tolls to drivers entering Massachusetts, as well as charging more for package deliveries and the payroll tax. Essentially, she added, “going after everybody who has money.”

Tibbits-Nutt, who became Healey’s second transportation chief two years ago after Gina Fiandaca left, plans to stay on through the end of the year as an adviser. (Healey, who last year slammed the door shut on Tibbits-Nutt’s toll and tax talk, said Thursday her departure is not related to the controversies, which also involved the unraveling of a bidding process for a highway service plaza operator.)

Eng’s MassDOT era had an auspicious beginning: The press conference where he took reporter questions started on time. 

When asked whether he will be a candidate for the permanent position, Eng said, “That's not been discussed. Really, this is for me to assist and work with the MassDOT team to really build on the things that are happening right now in transportation.”

Taking the MassDOT job on a permanent basis could also come with a big pay cut for him. Eng last year made more than $586,000 at the T, while Tibbits-Nutt was paid just over $196,000.

The search to fill the job will come amid election year scrutiny and the federal government’s inclination to yank away funding.

Transportation insiders, when asked about potential candidates, rattle off Tom McGee, the former Lynn mayor and MBTA board chair, and Brian Kane, a former MBTA employee who now heads up a watchdog group, among other names. Hayes Morrison, once considered an heir apparent and until recently the transportation undersecretary, has returned to Massport as the Logan Airport overseer’s deputy director of strategy. Highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver is the new undersecretary.

Eng said he is open to holding down the job “as long as it’s needed” but acknowledged the difficulty of juggling both posts. It is feasible, he quickly added. “[MBTA people] know what they're doing. MassDOT people know what they're doing. And what I've done is really empower them. Once we're all moving in the same direction, I don't need to be told every single thing we know how to operate. We know how to do highways and bridges.”

In other words, he'll be a good soldier, and one who is able to sidestep landmines. At his press conference, he handled questions about the emergency closure of a bridge connecting Lynn and Saugus, and a new bidding process for the service plaza. 

As it wrapped up and he stepped away from the mic, I asked him about border tolls. "Next time," a press aide intervened to say.

Do you agree with Phil Eng that he can handle both jobs? Let me know: [email protected].

Jobs continue below the fold — post a job

8:00 | The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation holds its annual Tax Policy Conference, featuring state and local officials, policy experts, and tax professionals. Panels will examine recent federal tax changes and their implications for state policy, trends in tax litigation, and perspectives from senior Department of Revenue staff. A discussion on federal tax and policy changes will include Health Care Financing Committee co-chair Sen. Cindy Friedman, Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz, Boston CFO Ashley Groffenberger, and WilmerHale Senior Counsel Eric Lesser as moderator. MTF President Doug Howgate will deliver remarks on the current tax landscape. | WilmerHale, 60 State St., Boston | Register

12:30 | Gov. Maura Healey celebrates unveiling of the Boston Renegades banner at Logan AIrport. She is joined by Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe, Massport CEO Rich Davey and Boston Renegades owner Molly Goodwin. | Terminal C, Departures Level, Boston

1:00 | Interim Transportation Secretary and MBTA GM Phil Eng is scheduled to take questions from callers on GBH News’ "Boston Public Radio." | GBH Radio 89.7 FM

2:15 | Gov. Maura Healey participates in the launch of a seasonal vaccine awareness campaign. She is joined by Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, Lawrence Mayor Brian De Pena, Sen. Pavel Payano and Rep. Frank Moran. | Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, 34 Haverhill Street, 3rd floor, Lawrence

Two of the nation’s best hospitals—Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital—are uniting as one team to deliver the most powerful kind of cancer care. One team that performs the most surgeries and has the most specialists in New England. One team turning discovery into hope. We’re one against cancer. Discover more

Seth Moulton launched his US Senate run against Ed Markey by arguing the longtime lawmaker, who turns 80 next year, is too old for the job.

But 15 young Democratic leaders, spanning several colleges and high schools, say they disagree. Markey similarly deployed support from young people when Joe Kennedy III attempted to challenge him in a 2020 Democratic primary.

This cycle’s endorsers cited Markey’s support for student debt relief and a Trans Bill of Rights. “On all the issues that young people care about—from housing to immigration and so much more—Senator Markey continues to lead the fight for a progressive future for us all,” Lezlie Braxton Campbell, vice president of Young Democrats of America and president emeritus of Young Democrats of Mass., said in a statement.

The list also includes Jack Perenick, current president of the Young Democrats of Mass.; Angus Abercrombie of the Greater Boston Young Democrats; Laura Peloquin of Mass. High School Democrats; David Seaton (Tufts); Sabine de Laurent and Rena-Jae McFall (UMass Lowell); Joey Pisani (Suffolk); and Tom Vosganian (Boston College), among others.

Polls are snapshots, and Gov. Maura Healey's campaign team likes this picture: She moved into the top 10 most popular governors in the country and was one of five Democrats to make the list, according to a quarterly voter survey from Morning Consult. She had a 59% approval rating. Healey was previously ranked at No. 16. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, was the most popular governor for the 13th consecutive quarter. On the U.S. Senate side, Ed Markey had a 57% approval rating among Mass. voters, “including 77% of Democratic voters,” Morning Consult said. He is behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who came in at No. 9….

….Real estate groups are taking their argument against rent control directly to Massachusetts mayors. In a letter sent out this week, the heads of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and NAIOP said a proposal working its way towards the 2026 ballot does not create a local option for rent control but mandates the policy. “Even now, in the current legislative session, fewer than five communities have submitted home rule petitions seeking local rent control,” they wrote. “Forcing every municipality in Massachusetts to adopt a law that most communities do not want is bad policy and bad politics.” In 2024 the state permitted just 14,338 new homes, one of the lowest per capita rates in the country, the groups added.

SHELTER SPENDING: The end of shelter spending reports – sent biweekly to legislative leaders from the Healey administration – is raising transparency concerns. – MassLive

SENATE TO OVERRIDE: Senators plan to join the House in overrides of Gov. Maura Healey’s budget vetoes. House lawmakers earlier this week signed off on more than $70 million in overrides of $130 million in vetoes. – State House News Service

COLLEGE EMISSIONS: Massachusetts colleges, which rank among the state’s top energy users, are pointing to environmental projects and energy reduction efforts. Boston University’s Warren Towers is one example, a conversion to an all-electric housing space that pledges to be net-zero in carbon emissions. – Boston Business Journal

ICE ARRESTS: Among the 1,400 ICE enforcement arrests in September, less than half had a “significant” criminal background, a stat that undermines ICE officials’ argument that they’re targeting the “worst of the worst.” – WBUR

WORCESTER MAYORAL: A civilian oversight board for police was the main point of disagreement between the three candidates for mayor of Worcester, who appeared together at a debate last night. – GBH News

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: A federal judge ordered a Plymouth County jail superintendent to release four men who are still locked up due to ICE officials interpreting immigration law in a way that’s unsupported by the area’s judiciary. – Universal Hub

KENNEDY FAMILY: Joe Kennedy III delved into the split between him and his uncle, RFK Jr., at the STAT Summit. – STAT News

TRANSIT TAP: Will the CharlieCard eventually go the way of the subway token? More than a year into the MBTA’s rollout of a fare system that allows the use of credit cards or mobile wallets, one in four riders are using it. – CommonWealth Beacon

WRITTEN UP: Police in Attleboro have charged John Robinson, a mayoral write-in candidate, with threatening to assault a school board member after an argument in his driveway that involved the school board member and her spouse, a city councilor. – Sun Chronicle

MASSterList and the State House News Service recently hosted a policy forum focused on addressing Massachusetts’ healthcare workforce challenges. Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, the event brought together more than 175 business, healthcare, and community leaders, as well as public officials.

Disappointment in Democrats is a common theme in field forming to replace Moulton

Former Celtics co-owner and Senate candidate lists Back Bay townhouse for $11 million

Rep. Trahan pushes for extending Obamacare tax credits

Former Boston councilor Fernandes Anderson reports to prison

Western Mass. higher ed institutions see decline in international students

KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller's guest is Bill Kole, former New England AP Bureau chief. They discuss his book about the impact of evangelical Christians on preserving gun culture and blocking gun control reforms, “In Guns We Trust.”

@ ISSUE SIT DOWN: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard interviews Congressman Seth Moulton, who has launched a run against Sen. Ed Markey.

ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. The guest is Brian Shortsleeve, GOP candidate for governor.

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].

Chief Administrative Officer, Cape Light Compact

Massachusetts State Director, Reproductive Equity Now

Director of Finance, City of Boston (Planning Department)

Director of Parks and Open Space, City of Newton

Deputy Administrator for Administration and Finance, MetroWest Regional Transit Authority

CFO, Girl Scouts of Central and Western MA

Victim Compensation Claims Manager, Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance

Manager of Financial Assessments, Center for Health Information and Analysis

Program Assistant, Clean Air & Water, Conservation Law Foundation

Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Massachusetts Housing Partnership

Executive Director, Massachusetts Housing Partnership

VIEW ALL JOBS