Making good on a campaign promise, Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio says her office will look into the MBTA’s performance and safety management practices between 2021 and 2022. That’s when a series of collisions, derailments and fires prompted a rare federal investigation into the operation of the agency's subway system.
In a statement announcing the audit, DiZoglio said it will focus on “safety risk management and overall areas of improvement,” and she plans to share the findings with Gov. Maura Healey, the state Legislature and the general public.
But Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, questioned the need for a state audit at this time.
“What the T doesn't need right now is more people coming in and telling them what they're not doing," Kane told GBH News. "What they need is people coming in and helping them to do the things they need to do.”
Kane said officials already know the T is not performing well.
"The reasons for that are very well documented: it's personnel and it's money," he said. "In a lot of cases, it's not a surprise.”
In her announcement, DiZoglio said the interest of taxpayers underscored the need for an audit.
“Safety issue after issue has arisen and the taxpayers continue to be on the hook," she said. "Taxpayers deserve to know how their dollars are being spent.”
That appears to be at odds with a Feb. 15 letter sent to state Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca, in which DiZoglio's office described the probe as a “performance audit” and not a financial one. There is a line that provides more detail about the specific scope of the audit, but most it has been redacted. It starts: “Our audit … will include but not be limited to” with the rest of the sentence blacked out.
In response to questions from GBH News, a spokesperson for the auditor’s office said that the scope of audits are sometimes redacted to protect their integrity, and that a performance audit can include finances.
MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo told GBH News: “We have received this communication and will be cooperating with the state auditor’s office.”
