Administration and Finance (A&F) Committee Meeting Minutes
Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting
February 2, 2023, Meeting
9:00 AM–9:53 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform
Brian Kane, Chair, representing the MBTA Advisory Board
The Administration and Finance Committee agreed to the following:
See attendance on page 5.
There were none.
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of December 15, 2022, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning (OTP) (Derek Krevat). The motion carried.
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of January 5, 2023, was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the MassDOT OTP (D. Krevat). The motion carried.
B. Kane introduced the Operations Plan worksheet for the hiring process for the executive director of the Boston Region MPO staff and requested discussion from the committee.
E. Bourassa, a participant of the previous executive director hiring process, provided an overview of the previous process. E. Bourassa stated that the MAPC, MBTA Advisory Board, and the MPO chair (MassDOT) and vice chair (MAPC) created and shared a memo outlining the hiring process, which was presented to the full MPO board in March 2019. The process consisted of a candidate review and interview team, initial candidate interviews, and three final candidate interviews with MPO Chair David Mohler (MassDOT) and Vice Chair Marc Draisen (MAPC), followed by a final recommendation to the full MPO board for the board’s approval.
B. Kane stated that the worksheet denotes the executive hiring committee will consist of the MPO chair and vice chair, who are the secretary of transportation and president of the MAPC board, respectively. B. Kane suggested adding language to allow for designees to fill their seat as needed. In addition, the chair of the Regional Transportation Advisory Council, A&F Committee, or a municipal member shall sit on the executive hiring committee. The MPO board may vote to establish additional seats.
B. Kane noted that an initial duty of the executive hiring committee is to consider if a member of the MPO staff should be made acting executive director. B. Kane asked if the deputy executive director should automatically be made acting executive director. E. Bourassa stated that if the deputy executive director is interested in applying for the open position, that person should not be privy to any hiring conversations. Tegin Teich, executive director, noted that the executive hiring committee should set a salary adjustment, in addition to recommending who the acting executive director shall be, to the full MPO board.
Lenard Diggins, Regional Transportation Advisory Council, advocated for the Regional Transportation Advisory Council to permanently have a seat on the executive hiring committee, due to the Advisory Council’s close collaboration with and reliance on MPO staff. B. Kane suggested creating the executive hiring committee with five total members: the secretary of transportation, the president of MAPC, the Regional Transportation Advisory Council chair, the A&F Committee chair, a municipal board member, and any other MPO board members as deemed necessary.
E. Bourassa noted that MAPC is not always the vice chair of the MPO board. E. Bourassa advocated for MAPC to explicitly hold a position on the executive hiring committee due to MAPC’s fiduciary relationship with the staff to the Boston Region MPO. T. Teich clarified the differences between the executive hiring committee and the candidate review and interview team, where the executive hiring committee will determine early hiring details and other high-level factors.
E. Bourassa advocated for the executive hiring committee to have three members.
Dennis Giombetti, MetroWest Regional Collaborative and the City of Framingham, suggested having seven members sit on the candidate review and interview team: the secretary of transportation, president of the MAPC board, Regional Transportation Advisory Council chair, A&F Committee chair, a municipal member, a representative from the Inner Core subregion, and a representative of the other subregions.
E. Bourassa overviewed the MAPC hiring process. The hiring process includes a large panel for initial interviews and recommendations, which then go to the executive director for a final decision. E. Bourassa stated that if the full board consensus is to have a larger group make the final hiring decision, then a larger candidate search and review committee could be a solution. A potential challenge is that it is more difficult to reach a consensus with a larger group of people.
D. Giombetti asked if there is any desire for the final candidates to be interviewed by the full MPO board. T. Teich responded that the proposed process is to have the final candidate be interviewed by the full board, followed by final approval from the board in an executive session.
T. Teich stated that the proposed executive hiring committee will be a small group that writes a memo that confirms the hiring process, recommends an interim executive director, recommends a salary adjustment if appropriate, recommends the makeup of the candidate review and interview team, recommends the membership of the final interview team, and appoints a staff member to act as a human resources liaison throughout the process. The candidate review and interview team will review and revise draft interview questions prepared by the executive hiring committee.
D. Giombetti suggested a streamlined process containing a hiring committee of seven members to create interview questions and processes and manage logistics. This committee would conduct interviews and provide the full board with their recommendations. The full board will interview the final candidates and make a determination, leaving the final decision to the board. D. Giombetti suggested having the MPO chair, vice chair, and Regional Transportation Advisory Council chair as permeant seats, leaving four open seats for appointment.
B. Kane added that D. Giombetti’s proposed hiring committee can appoint a subcommittee of themselves, should they deem it necessary.
B. Kane stated that the current proposal is a hiring committee of seven comprised of the MPO chair, vice chair, and Regional Transportation Advisory Council chair, or their designees, and four seats to be appointed by the MPO board. This committee will conduct first round work and appoint the interim executive director. E. Bourassa asked to bring this proposal back to MAPC for review. E. Bourassa stated that there is still value in having a smaller group convene at the very beginning of the hiring process.
B. Kane stated that the next A&F Committee meeting will continue the discussion of the executive director hiring process, including the process for appointing an interim executive director, the hiring committee, and salary adjustments and performance reviews.
There were none.
The meeting adjourned at 9:53 AM.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning |
Derek Krevat |
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
Brian Kane |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Eric Bourassa |
|
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of
Framingham) |
Dennis Giombetti |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Lenard Diggins |
|
Other Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Judy Shanley |
Easterseals |
|
Jon Seward |
|
|
Jayna Turchek |
|
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Jonathan Church |
|
Erin Maguire |
|
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
(MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with
federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related
statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally
assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America
shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited
English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits
of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity
that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws
administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration,
or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability.
The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI
Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In
addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs,
services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in
compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on
federal Executive Order 13166. The Boston Region MPO also complies with the
Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a,
which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in
admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race,
color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability,
or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's
Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities,
and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or
contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful
discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry,
national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era
veterans), or background. A complaint form and additional information
can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this
information in a different language or in an accessible format, please
contact Title VI Specialist By Telephone: For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the
state MassRelay service: · Relay Using TTY or Hearing Carry-over: 800.439.2370 · Relay Using Voice Carry-over: 866.887.6619 · Relay Using Text to Speech: 866.645.9870 For more information, including numbers for Spanish
speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay. |