– News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Now in the hot seat in the Corner Office
A file photo

Massachusetts rookie Governor Maura Healey promised to name a new General Manager for the long troubled MBTA within sixty days of her recent inauguration.

Sixty days have past in recent days but still no white smoke coming out the fireplace in the Corner Office on Beacon Hill.

Even so, late last week a local broadcast news commentator broke word that Renée Amilcar was on the Governor’s short list, if not also seen as the front front-runner for the appointment.

Crashing through the snow …
A file photo

The oh so ironically surnamed Amilcar is currently the head of the public transit system in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. 

She is well-regarded, holds an undergraduate degree in engineering as well as an MBA. 

Additionally, what with years of experience with public transit in the Great White North she surely knows how to cope with snow, something which is sorely needed at the MBTA even if this cold time of the year this year in Eastern Massachusetts has (so far anyway, ed.) been pretty much a bust as regards dumping snowfall upon the otherwise busted MBTA’s system.

Keolis’ mascot, the basis of a favorite French dish – whatever …
Image via gizmodo

She also speaks fluent French and which would surely prove effective dealing with Keolis, a French company that operates under contract much of the operations and such for the MBTA’s Commuter Rail system.

Then again, French from France have a history of looking down on the Québécois accent.

Now, however, comes word from Ottawa that Ms Amilcar loves her current job and plans to stay put. 

Also, as a married mother, one can only assume that she has no more than very little interest in seeing her progeny change school unless she can afford the tuition at the prestigious École Française of Greater Boston or at least score enrollment within the Milton Public School District’s French immersion program.

OC Transpo’s General Manager Renée Amilcar
A Simon-Seguin-Bertrand image via Le Droit

Further, one cannot help but opine that perhaps Ms. Amilcar has sussed out that the she would not likely be well-received by the MBTA’s Boston Carmen’s Union, Local 589 because she is Canadian, among other only reasonable to suspect reasons.

Granted, perhaps she is playing hard to get so as to score the appropriate compensation for the sisyphusian task that is trying to run the T– but what if she is serious about staying put in Ottawa?

Accordingly, Quincy Quarry News can only properly pose a proposed Plan B nominee.

Quincy’s “peerless” leader …
A free use image

And the proposed nominee: Quincy’s peerless Mayor Thomas P. Koch.

Reasons for this recommendation include, in no particular order, the following as to why he is perfect for the job.

First up, Mayor Koch well knows how to spend tax dollars – often stupendously serious dollars – to but minimum actual benefit given the amount spent.

Next, his management skills are, well, a joch and thus consistent with those of the MBTA.

And then there is his all too well-known to locals inability to deal with snow outside of the metes and bounds of Kim Jong Koch Plaza and the City Hall VIP parking lot and is thus even further in sync with the T.

The MBTA Board of Directors on a site tour
An old Columbia Pictures image

Further, he has for a dozen years been the Chair of MBTA Advisory Board, the entity that is supposed to advocate for improving services in communities served by the MBTA, not that such has happened as far as public transit riders are concerned.

Mayor Koch is also the senior member of the MBTA’s Board of Directors.

Additionally, there his involvement with the T’s real estate development and new facilities initiatives.

After all, Mayor Koch was a cheerleader for the soon-to-be-completed outsized Charlie Foxtrot of a Transit Oriented Development within the air rights of the MBTA’s North Quincy Station as well as the long-stalled plans to do something similar at the T’s Quincy Center station.

A strip mall on steroids with apartments above …
A Quincy Quarry News file photo

So what, however, for the fact that commuting to work from Quincy to Boston as well as points generally north on the T has all but cratered as working from home has been common for at least some of many workers’ workweeks in the wake of the COVID pandemic as well as that such will likely continue to be the case for at least some time yet to come, if not then some.

And then there is his suspected role in seeing the T buy the former venue of a Lowe’s store in Quincy and repurpose it into a hybrid and EV bus capable maintenance facility and bus yard. 

Up in smoke. A whole lotta money up in smoke
Image via cheat-sheet.com

That and so surely but coincidentally also so do the connected now-former property owner a solid. 

However, this plan for a new bus yard was then quickly put on hold when costs to build it soared and the T thus at least paused its plans, unlike Koch’s going forward full speed ahead without seeing cost-cutting frivolous features cut out of his plans for a palace of a police department headquarters, not to mention also doing so with all sorts of his other costs running amok municipal projects.

Is a City on the Move stalling out yet again?
An iconic Quincy Quarry News exclusive image

For example, the well over $300 million dollars in various sorts of taxpayers’ funded funding spent on his arguably again foundering plans for a New Quincy Center.

In short, the vertically challenged mayor’s Medusa touch happens often and all but invariably expensive as he clearly has a limited vantage point on the vision thing.

And then there is the likely net benefit for locals from seeing Koch kicked upstairs even if it means that the current President of the City Council would so see his dream of being the Mayor of Quincy happen. 

The Skipper has moved on and so left his little buddy behind …
Image via Facebook

Not to worry, however, as the City of Quincy Council President’s acting in such an acting role as an acting mayor would all but assuredly be a short run until this fall’s mayoral election might finally see someone actually competent running the City of Quincy.

And finally, there is how Mayor Koch would surely appreciate having the opportunity to not only score himself a several-fold raise but also pop his pension similarly.

If, that is, he can last on the job to score his high three years of salary at several fold or more greater money than his current salary as mayor.

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