Calls for U.S. Attorney Investigation as MassDOT Fails to Hold Key Figures Accountable
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance is calling out Interim Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng for failing to hold key officials accountable following the botched MassDOT service plaza procurement, a fiasco that could have cost taxpayers up to $900 million in lost revenue.
Despite findings from Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro detailing extensive instances of conflicts of interest and improper communications during the bidding process, Scott Bosworth, the former selection committee chair at the center of the controversy, remains on the public payroll in a senior MBTA position. Last year taxpayers paid Bosworth $244,284, a figure higher than even the Governor’s salary. That was an increase from 2023, despite the central role he played in last year’s scandal.
Eng also declined to rule out allowing Applegreen, the politically connected bidder at the center of the failed deal, from participating in the new procurement process.
“This is exactly the kind of insider protection that erodes public trust and raises serious questions about whether Beacon Hill is capable of policing itself. You have a procurement process tainted by conflicts of interest, a politically connected bidder that walked away from a sweetheart deal, and yet the key decision makers remain employed and unaccountable. That is unacceptable,” said Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.
The Inspector General’s report outlined undisclosed communications between Bosworth and individuals connected to the bidders during the procurement process, behavior that violated established procedures and undermined the integrity of the bidding system.
Under Eng’s leadership, there have been no meaningful consequences for those involved.
“Keeping Bosworth in a senior government role, with a generous taxpayer funded salary that is higher than the Governor’s, while claiming the process has been fixed is not reform, its political protection. Refusing to rule out Applegreen’s participation in the next round sends a clear message that rule breaking comes with no consequences on Beacon Hill,” said Craney.
MassFiscal is calling for federal scrutiny of the procurement.
“When state leadership fails to enforce basic standards of accountability, we hope federal officials will intervene on behalf of the taxpayers. The U.S. Attorney should investigate. Taxpayers deserve answers, not excuses and personnel shuffling,” said Craney.
MassFiscal also criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the procurement, noting that conflict of interest concerns were not proactively disclosed and instead surfaced through external investigation and independent reporting.
“This was not a minor error. It was a systemic failure that allegedly was being abused. You cannot restore confidence in government by keeping the same people in power and hoping the public forgets but that is exactly what Interim Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng is attempting,” Craney said.
MassFiscal is urging state leaders to remove individuals involved in the failed procurement from positions of authority and to ensure that the new bidding process is conducted with full transparency and strict accountability.
“Massachusetts taxpayers should not have to wonder whether major state contracts are awarded based on merit or connections. Right now, Interim Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager is failing the taxpayers,” closed Craney.