State Transportation Secretary Announces Senior Management Appointments

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BOSTON — Massachusetts Transportation of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt announced the appointment of Hayes Morrison as Undersecretary of Transportation and Matthew Bamonte as MassDOT Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).  
 
Morrison and Bamonte have each been serving for several years on the senior leadership team at MassDOT and assume their new positions immediately.
 
"MassDOT, as an organization, and I personally, am incredibly fortunate to have dedicated public servants like Hayes and Matt ready to step into these roles thanks to their years of experience in senior management," said Secretary Tibbits-Nutt. "Hayes and Matt both bring a strong background in leading complicated initiatives, and, as experts in their fields, are ready and able to advance our most critical programs related to climate action, transportation safety, multimodalism, capital investment, diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Public service is an honor, an honor that asks a great deal of those who accept it.  I am grateful that Hayes and Matt are willing to embrace these challenges alongside me."
 
Hayes Morrison is being promoted to the position of Undersecretary after more than 20 years of experience leading key projects and initiatives in the public sector.  In the role of Undersecretary, she will oversee eight departments:  Office of Transportation Planning, Office of Performance Management and Innovation, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, the Innovation Lab at MassDOT, Office of Federal Funding Coordination, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Compliance and Internal Audit, and Operational Excellence.  She began work at MassDOT in November 2020 as Chief of Mobility and was then promoted to Assistant Secretary of Policy and Strategy, then to Acting Chief of Staff.  During the last three years, she has led MassDOT in taking steps toward climate and resiliency goals and ensuring Bipartisan Infrastructure Law policies were represented in projects and programs.  Before joining MassDOT, Morrison served from 2015 to 2020 at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) where she was Deputy Director, Strategic and Business Planning. In that role, she led planning and policy decisions pertaining to infrastructure development, land use, and other important initiatives.  Morrison’s career also included serving as Director of Transportation, Infrastructure, Parks, and Open Space for the City of Somerville for more than three years and serving as Transportation Finance Manager for the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization for more than four years.
 
Matthew Bamonte is being promoted to Chief Administrative Officer after serving in an acting CAO capacity since July 2022.  Matt is a MassDOT veteran who has served in multiple roles for almost two decades in positions of increased responsibility, starting as Capital Budget Director in 2004, then Director of Finance for Real Estate and Asset Development in 2017, then Chief Administrative Officer for the Highway Division in 2020, then Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for MassDOT in 2021, to the role of Acting Chief Administrative Officer in 2022.  Bamonte is well-known beyond MassDOT among other state colleagues as he has been engaged in many cross-department budget meetings, played a critical role in the development of the MassDOT capital program, and coordinated MassDOT’s federal program.  He is a proven leader, having overseen several departments at MassDOT: Fiscal, Information Technology, Human Resources, Diversity and Civil Rights, Civil Rights, Real Estate and Economic Development, and General Services.  
 
 
 
 

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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 
 
The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.
 
"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.
 
"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 
 
Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 
 
Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 
 
Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.
 
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