Davey named new transportation secretary

Richard Davey will replace Jeffrey Mullan on Sept. 1 as the state’s secretary of transportation.

Davey has been the rail and transit administrator for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. As Transportation secretary, he becomes responsible for day-to-day management of the transportation organization created by transportation reform legislation signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in June 2009.

MassDOT, which began operations on Nov. 1, 2009, is governed by a five-member Board of Directors appointed by the governor. The DOT includes four divisions: Highway, Rail & Transit, Aeronautics and the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Mullan said he plans to return to Foley Hoag as a partner in the law firm. Before taking the helm at MassDOT, Mullan served as undersecretary and general counsel for the Executive Office of Transportation and as executive director of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. He was responsible for the implementation of the transportation reform law and oversaw the consolidation of seven state agencies and the merger of multiple departments. Prior to their consolidation, the agencies were running structural deficits.

Concerns persist, however, about the state’s ability to maintain its roads, bridges and public transit systems. In May, Richard Parr of A Better City presented a white paper, “Fixing Transit Finance: A Framework for Discussion,” to the MMA’s Policy Committee on Public Works, Transportation and Public Utilities. He said the cost savings from reform have not been sufficient to adequately maintain the state’s transportation infrastructure. The policy committee endorsed a call for new revenue to address transportation needs and to make transportation funding a priority for the committee.