The head of the T is out — marking the fifth leadership change at the ailing transit system in as many years. The short tenure of Luis Ramirez, who moved to Boston from Dallas for the job, comes after a 15-month period that included signal problems, track derailments, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic delays.
But Ramirez isn't the only out-of-towner to struggle in Boston. Former Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang came to the city from Los Angeles and stepped down from his post in June, two years into a five-year contract. During his brief tenure, the school system faced an IRS audit, an immigration lawsuit, racism at Boston Latin School, and widespread parent outrage over a plan to change school start times.
Writing in the Boston Globe today, columnist Adrian Walker claims the main problem is that Boston is too harsh on leaders who come from outside the city and are deemed "outsiders." Jim Braude was joined by Walker, as well as Evan Falchuk, a former candidate for Massachusetts governor and now CEO of care management company Village Plan.
