Several years ago, I contacted my state senator, Will Brownsberger, and asked for his help addressing a serious problem: some MBTA buses were leaking engine fumes into their passenger compartments, sickening passengers and putting their long-term health at risk. I wrote about this issue extensively here.
In response, Will arranged for me to meet with several MBTA employees, including Chief Mechanical Officer Jeff Gonneville, to present my concerns first-hand.
All of the MBTA employees I met with, and Gonneville in particular, listened respectfully to my concerns.
After our meeting, they actually did something about the problem. They figured out what was wrong and fixed it, and the leakage of fumes has rarely recurred since then. When it does recur and I report the specific problematic buses to the T, they are now dealt with quickly.
What I learned from this experience is that Jeff Gonneville is dedicated to making the MBTA better and competent at doing so. I was therefore happy to learn today about news which came out a while ago that I missed at the time — Jeff has been promoted to Deputy General Manager, effective next month. Note that previous to this promotion, Jeff had already been promoted to Chief Operating Officer since our encounter.
I am pleased to see the MBTA recognizing and promoting excellence.
Congratulations to Jeff Gonneville and best of luck to him in his new role.
