A former MBTA executive and the current head of its budget review agency says revelations that some system managers are living far away from the hundreds of cities and towns serviced by the T does not adequately reflect the response the network requires from its leaders.

“A place like the MBTA, where things are clearly not working well, it really needs to be all hands on deck all the time, in person, especially on construction projects and especially out in places like Springfield where they’re making those new Red and Orange line cars that we know are not working properly,” MBTA Advisory Board executive director Brian Kane said.

Kane, speaking with WBZ’s Jon Keller for the political analyst’s recurring Sunday segment, said news that several MBTA managers involved in capital improvement projects — all making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year — were on the state payroll despite living nowhere near the construction they were responsible for managing, isn’t necessarily a surprise, considering the recent past.

“I think it was a hangover from COVID pandemic policies that were never really pulled back in. And I think we shouldn’t cast dispersions on all remote work, clearly there are times and places where it can continue and should continue,” he said.

However, when something is as broken as parts of the state’s transit systems have proven to be, Kane said, you need the bosses to be on site making sure the work gets done.

“They should have folks out (in Springfield), not in California,” he said.

Gov. Maura Healey has responded to the news that five high paid managers were working for the MBTA while outside the Bay State’s borders by firing one and ordering the remaining four to report for in-person duties at least three days a week.

James “Jay” Neider, the former chief of capital programs for the MBTA, was fired last month after it came to that light he was working from out of state while earning more than $300,000 last year as chief of capital programs for the MBTA.

All remote employees — including the four just ordered to the office — will see their roles reviewed for onsite requirements, a T spokesman told the Herald..

According to Kane, the MBTA’s new General Manager, Phil Eng, is himself still in the process of relocating to Massachusetts.

“He is attempting to buy a home locally,” Kane said.

Healey, last week, said that she expects leaders in state administration to be present.

“I just cannot have a situation where I have members in management not on the job,” Healey said. “It is a lousy signal to other state workers who are showing up every day working hard.”