The president also has all expenses paid and has quite a cushy for-life benefits package. Not to mention what it does for your career earning potential thereafter.

Edit: oh and all those sweet insider stock trading tips.

This is so true. There also needs to be much more oversight than just one person because so much is rotten and he can't be everywhere at once.

I also find it kind of funny how reddit always gets outraged about government employees making a decent salary for their level of responsibility, but then turns around and talks about how private sector workers deserve to get paid more.

And as you point out, for the level of experience and responsibility involved here, this salary isn't actually that crazy. He could certainly make more in the private sector for a similar level role.

Private sector engineering/management at this level of experience pays more than that. Doesn’t seem unreasonable to me.

Well, I don’t know anything about football but yes, that’s also crazy.

If they’re a winning coach then whatever.. but if they’re getting paid that to lose every game…

Edit: and my crazy I mean I’m salty I’m apparently in the wrong field of work but alas

I despise this low IQ take. Any working professional like a software engineer, doctor, or lawyer in the late stage of their career can make that much or more.

This dude with 40+ years of engineering experience is hired to turn around an entire public transit system. I understand the potential for political corruption of civil servants but at the same time our bureaucracy is crippled because we can’t provide competitive financial incentive to hire top talent.

Someone with this much responsibility in the private sector (essentially the CEO of a company with $2.55 billion annual budget and 2,700+ employees) would almost certainly make much more than that. For that reason, I tend to have a hard time getting outraged about paying very high level government employees with lots of responsibility a reasonable salary for that level of position (and still way below what someone similar in the private sector would get).

If you want a decent candidate with enough relevant experience to actually take these sort of jobs, you have to pay well. There aren't that many people out there who have experience leading a large transit organization.

Not really. A job with this type of public scrutiny and the current state of the T should be getting paid a whole lot more tbh.

Don’t state-employees who coach football teams make $10m+?

Seems a lot crazy but who am I

He is in the process of moving. Sounds like he has trouble finding a house. Good luck to you. Hopefully that won't discourage you from fixing MBTA.

There is some of this - but also, you need to pay highly to attract high level talent. Why would someone go to the MBTA when they would go to private corporations/engineering and make $500k instead? the MBTA offer needs to be commensurate with competitive private offers to actually attract someone talented/qualified.

Anything aside from downtown crossing/boston common is very safe at night, and even those areas are generally fine

That’s low, considering the level of engineering and management skills required in the industry/for-profit equivalents.

It’s part of why it’s so hard to find talent.

But many people that run big city-transit companies don’t do it for the money. Especially if they’re already retired like Eng is. If he fixes the T, he does it for legacy.

The US presidents should unionize.

Maybe I’m too optimistic but maybe he’s just trying to show love for the MBTA & its history as the oldest subway in the US. It may not be at its best right now, but the T has a lot of character and a rich history.

I love the MBTA too, that’s why I want it to be better!

Literally thousands. Hotels, bars, restaurants, rental agencies, cleaners, etc etc. The catering industry will be begging for folks and it’s great money. Take your pick!

No. If anything he's probably being underpaid for the scope of work and authority given he could probably take an easier job and make double that working for private rail companies or something.

If he can actually fix the MBTA, I am okay with that.

Yeah but the US president is way underpaid for the position. BU president's base pay is like $1m.

La Summa is a great side-street restaurant that serves incredible Sicilian/Italian food. My family is Italian-American and the restaurant is Italian-American family owned. My family has been going there for years - definitely not a tourist trap and is affordable compared to many other places in the city and even area.

Plenty safe

Let’s pretend he was being sarcastic and what he meant was he wouldn’t have still been in Newton if it wasn’t the “best” transit system in the world.

Your post appears to be one of a number of commonly asked questions about the port city of Boston. Please check the sidebar for visitor information. Ah Hi! Ive always wanted to respond to one of these, but I normally reach the post a few hours too late. I'll do my best to give you some good recommendations. So first things first, Boston is VERY walkable and easy to get around, especially if you take the T (what we call our subway). People on this subreddit love to shit on the T (and everything else honestly, very pessimistic group of people), but in actuality its great, especially by American standards. I would consider getting a day pass so you can ride it as much as you want, but I am not sure how much they cost/if it would be worth your while (a single ride is around $2.75 I believe?? Not really sure). With that being said, I would say one of the first places you should check out is the North End. It is a very Italian American neighborhood, and has a pretty strong European-esque feel to it. There are great Italian restaurants and shops everywhere. The touristy thing to do is to go to Mikes Pastry's for cannolis, but I (and I think most locals would agree) recommend Bovas instead. The whole neighborhood is super compact and dense, and it will be mad easy for you guys to walk around and check it out. Nearby the North End is Faniuel Hall/Quincy Market, which is probably the epicenter of Bostons historical/tourist scene. The food there might be a bit overpriced/overhyped, but I personally have to recommend the Boston Chipyard. Its a stand within Quincy Market that sells fresh, mini cookies. Ive been living here for five years (and visiting my entire life) and I STILL always go there whenever I am feeling sad and need a pick me up/just craving a cookie. I love it and its absolutely delicious. Id also suggest just strolling around Beacon Hill and the Back Bay neighborhood (particularly Commonwealth Avenue). The architecture there is beautiful, and both are very serene and picturesque, and really just great places to walk around and soak in the ambiance. Both neighborhoods have plenty of bars/restaurants/shops, so youll have plenty of other things to do besides walk around. They are super close to one another, and very conveniently located right in the heart of the city. Also gotta check out the Esplanade, its a cool park right along the Charles River, its super pretty and relaxing, and also right next to Back Bay/Beacon Hill, so really convenient to get to. One of my favorite places in the city. In terms of less touristy things to do, Id suggest going to the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. Its basically one giant park/tree zoo, and its filled with really beautiful trees and plants, and is just a lovely place to walk around. This is definitely one of the cooler places in Boston, and definitely not something that the average tourist does. Its right at the end of the Orange Line (Forrest Hills), so while it is kinda far out compared to the other places I have mentioned, it really is not that hard/complicated to get to. Great place to just vibe out and relax, and its one of my favorite places in the whole city. Obviously Boston/New England is known for its seafood, and it really is tremendous. There is a lot of debate about which place has the best clam chowder/lobster roll, and it ultimately comes down to preference, but I always recommend to visitors the Barking Crab. It is located right on the water in Bostons Seaport neighborhood, so again, very centrally located. I think the food there is delicious, and I think it offers the best ambience/overall dining experience. It does a good job of kinda replicating the traditional New England seafood shack, while still being more of a legit restaurant. Again, some people may shit on me for that answer, but at the end of the day, if you go, youre gonna have a good time/delicious meal. Other quintessential Boston things are the Freedom trail, Duck Boat Tour, harbor walk, and visiting Fenway (which it seems like you are already doing, although i highly recommend going to a game if you can, not sure if the Sox are in town this weekend). Cambridge is located right across the Charles River from Boston, and while it technically is its own city, it feels like it might as well be an extension of Boston. Both Central and Harvard squares are a lot of fun, with plenty of cool restaurants and stores to check out. One last non-touristy thing I recommend is visiting East Boston, or Eastie. Its really easy to get to on the Blue Line, and is just a really underrated neighborhood as a whole, and definitely is not the type of place a tourist would usually go to. It has some beautiful parks right on the water that have great views, as well as many really good Latin food spots. There is the ICA watershed, which is a really cool contemporary art museum located right in the Boston Shipyard. Also, there is an Australian meatpie place right there called KO Pies that my friends and I always go to when we are in the area. For all I know, it might not even hold a candle compared to the meatpie places you have back home, but the people working there will definitely get a kick out of serving a fellow Aussie. All in all, Boston is an incredible place with a unique sense of charm and distinct identity, and it takes a lot of pride in itself, which I love. It does a great job of blending the big city/small town feels, and in my opinion, is the best city on the East Coast. Please feel free to message me if you want any more specific recommendations. Enjoy your visit!!

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Your post appears to be one of a number of commonly asked questions about the port city of Boston. Please check the sidebar for visitor information. Also, consider using the search function to see if this question or something similar has been asked on /r/boston in the past. It is best to do some research before posting tourism questions here, as posts are more likely to succeed if they include details such as your interests, which area you are staying in, and more specific questions. Please enjoy this map that we made just for you

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Probably the only way to attract quality candidates to steer a sinking ship.