While it's probably time for fresh leadership at the MBTA, I guarantee that those cackling with glee at Dan Grabauskas' exit won't be the least bit happy with whoever replaces him.  And I say this through a cackle myself.

First of all, Governor Patrick's Transportation Secretary, James Aloisi, who is also chairman of the MBTA board of directors where he spends a good deal of his time heckling Grabauskas, has nothing up his sleeve but more fare hikes — which he has, apparently without irony, called "a long-term solution."

That's a bad sign.

If Grabauskas had a glaring fault, it's that he was a nancy on debt-relief. 

The situation is as dire now as when he arrived on the scene.  It has certainly not changed since MASSPIRG issued its report on the T's fiscal woes last year. 

Carrying an $8.1 billion debt with interest, the MBTA will be forced to dramatically increase fares, cut service, or borrow more money to close budget gaps if state lawmakers do not provide debt relief. All of these options would negatively affect the MBTA and its riders by making the system less affordable, less available, run less frequently or become more indebted in the long run. The result would be a decrease in ridership.

The problem is...

Much of the MBTA’s debt is a result of the Big Dig. Over the years, more state and federal transportation money should have gone to the MBTA, but as Big Dig construction went billions over budget, it swallowed up funds that could have addressed these problems.

Further, the MBTA incurred much of the costs associated with transit expansion and improvement projects required to offset the additional air pollution created as a result of the central artery and tunnel expansion. Rather than saddling the MBTA with these costs, they should have been included in the Big Dig’s original budget.

In 2007 the blue-ribbon Transportation Finance Commission, recommended the state "relieve the MBTA of $1.8 billion of debt associated with Big Dig commitments."  A coalition of transportation advocacy groups has echoed this call.

But instead of tackling a real long-term solution, the current leadership all along the chain of command is offering the same ol': another round of fare hikes and service cuts, which we already know reduces ridership, diminishing its effectiveness even as a short-term fix. 

It's a shame, because with a little vision and the right leadership, Boston could be a public transit success story and a showcase for transit-oriented development.  Without it, there's no light at the end of this tunnel.