It's not exactly news that the agency tasked with analyzing and approving Boston's development projects has its problems. But a new audit that Mayor Marty Walsh commissioned and that pink-slip printer McKinsey & Co. carried out shows just how problematic the inner workings of the Boston Redevelopment Authority are.
The audit's main critique of the BRA, according to reports, is that it lacks both transparency about how it arrives at yeas or nays re: developments and the proper staff to really vet things. Not surprisingly, then, that "unwritten rules" dominate decision-making, there is a lot of waste, and only a handful of employees and appointees have any real power. Also, morale is rather (understandably) low.
To counter this grim situation, particularly the transparency bit, the BRA plans to hire six planners and is starting a nationwide search for a replacement for Kairos Shen, the longtime planning chief under former Mayor Tom Menino. Walsh forced Shen out earlier this year. Stay tuned.
· Audit Calls BRA a Dysfunctional Bureaucracy [Globe]
· Marty Walsh Review Finds B.R.A.'s in Disarray [Herald]
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