Top legislative Democrats focused on transportation expressed confidence in the leadership capabilities of Monica Tibbits-Nutt, who will take over as acting transportation secretary in two weeks after Gina Fiandaca steps down.
Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday that Fiandaca, the state’s transportation secretary, plans to leave her position on Sept. 11 and serve in an “advising role” through the end of the year while Tibbits-Nutt steps in as acting secretary. During the period as a MassDOT advisor, Fiandaca will continue to collect her full secretarial salary of $181,722, a Healey spokesperson said.
Healey offered no explanation for Fiandaca’s departure, but in an internal MassDOT email sent Monday, the secretary indicated she came to the decision on her own.
The top ranks of MassDOT make for a “good working lineup” during the secretarial transition, said Rep. William Straus, a Mattapoisett Democrat who co-chairs the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.
Straus said he is satisfied — “at least initially” — with Tibbits-Nutt in the acting role once Fiandaca leaves the administration,
“What matters most to me, and I think the public, is how will the work get done in the future and I’m satisfied that it’s going to continue to work as best as possible,” he told the Herald. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have problems at the T. Clearly, we do.”
Asked if the administration is prepared to launch a search for a new secretary, a Healey spokesperson said we “are confident in the leadership we have with Monica Tibbits-Nutt taking on the role of acting secretary.” It is unclear at this time if the administration would turn to an outside search firm, a decision they could make in the next few weeks.
State Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Lynn Democrat who is Straus’ counterpart on the Transportation Committee, said he has the “utmost” confidence in Tibbits-Nutt.
“[Tibbits-Nutt] has been pretty engaged throughout so I can’t imagine them skipping a beat in all of this,” Crighton said while pointing to a number of federal grants the state is pursuing and ongoing issues at the MBTA. “There’s a ton of challenges, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve known Monica for a long time, worked with her really well, so I can’t imagine there’s gonna be much of a transition.”
Straus said he is looking at two key developments amidst the leadership shakeup — the imminent transition at the Massachusetts Port Authority, where Executive Director Lisa Wieland plans to leave her job, and long-term discussions over the state’s commuter rail contract.
“For the administration and for the now acting secretary, because the secretary sits on the Massport board, those are the two longer lead issues that I think are out there other than the immediate ‘how are the trains running today?’” Straus said.
Healey, in a statement Monday, thanked Fiandaca for her service and said MassDOT is in “good hands.”
“[MassDOT is] well-positioned to continue this important work with Monica Tibbits-Nutt as acting secretary, as she has a deep knowledge of our transportation system and a commitment to public engagement and equity,” Healey said.
In a statement provided by the administration, Fiandaca said she is leaving MassDOT “in capable hands” and “with an administration dedicated to addressing our transportation challenges by putting people first and a workforce ready to carry on this work.”