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Healey rebukes transportation secretary after ‘unfiltered’ remarks

Gov. Maura Healey said that Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt used a "very poor choice of words" while addressing an advocacy group earlier this month.

By Ross Cristantiello

April 23, 2024

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Mass. Gov. Maura Healey sharply rebuked Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt Tuesday following remarks that Tibbits-Nutt made to an advocacy group earlier this month. 

The comments, given by Tibbits-Nutt during an event hosted by Walk Massachusetts, ignited a wave of backlash after they were reported on last week. Tibbits-Nutt floated the idea of adding tolls to the state border, which was quickly denounced by the governors of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and other officials within Massachusetts. 

Healey said in a statement Monday that Tibbits-Nutt’s comments did not “represent the views of this administration” and that she was not supporting adding any tolls to the border. She doubled down on this position during an appearance on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” program Tuesday morning. 

Host Tiziana Dearing played a clip of what Tibbits-Nutt said at the Walk Massachusetts event. 

“The beauty of a microphone in all these different places, especially once it’s being recorded, once I say it, it’s there,” Tibbits-Nutt said during the event on April 10. “I will 100% use that as a weapon… once I say it, it is now a policy.”

In response, Healey distanced herself from that idea and said she convened with Tibbits-Nutt about those comments. 

“I have already spoken to the secretary about that,” Healey said. “That was a very poor choice of words, it’s not how we do things, it’s not how we operate, and we’ve moved on from that.”

Tibbits-Nutt was speaking about the work of a task force that Healey appointed to create recommendations for a “long-term, sustainable transportation finance plan” by the end of 2024. She promised to be “unfiltered” and spoke about a range of policy issues, including support for increasing traffic enforcement and charging rideshare companies more. Tibbits-Nutt said that MassDOT does not have enough money and suggested that she would go after “all the people who should be giving us money to make our transportation better.”

Tibbits-Nutt was appointed to lead MassDOT last November. At the time, Healey praised her work with the MBTA, her ability to secure federal funding, and her efforts to help communities that were impacted by extreme weather.

On Tuesday, Healey said her focus was on making the state more affordable and more competitive. The task force was convened, she said, because the state needs to change how it thinks about creating the best possible public transportation system. Healey said she would continue to leave the task of crafting those recommendations with the members of the group, including Tibbits-Nutt. 

“I am focused on working with the team, and the secretary, on ensuring that we’re doing what we need to do so that we improve our transit system,” Healey said. 

The governor pivoted, touting projects like the Allston Multimodal Project and the eventual replacement of the bridges spanning the Cape Cod Canal. In March, more than $335 million in federal funding was awarded to the state to overhaul a section of the Massachusetts Turnpike. In January, the Biden administration allocated more than $370 million for replacing the outdated Sagamore Bridge. 

Healey spoke about the importance of collaboration with her team, adding that leaders in high profile public jobs like hers need to “listen” and “convene.”

“We’re in the business of solving problems. That’s what the charge is for us to do, day in and day out,” she said on WBUR. “How do you solve problems? How do you make life better for our residents, for folks here in the state? It’s that spirit of collaboration, communication, transparency, openness that’s really important, and respect for those who we serve.”