PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board has chosen Kathleen Lambert as its next administrator, recognizing that it had two strong candidates to choose from. 

 

The board voted to offer the position to Lambert, former ARPA project manager for Haverhill, last week; she has accepted pending contract negotiation.

 

The prior week, she and Roberto Quintos, Berkshire Transit Management's general manager, were interviewed during open meetings. There 16 applicants that were narrowed down to four; three finalists were to be interviewed but one withdrew.

 

Lambert will replace Robert Malnati, who is retiring next year after more than 20 years with BRTA. 

 

"I think that every transit system can look and see where they can make improvements, and if there are improvements needed, or things that the board would like to do, I'm ready to lead them," Lambert told the board during her interview on Sept. 9. 

 

Before the vote, the seven present city/town representatives wrote their preference on a card. Initially, three voted to hire Quintos, two voted for Lambert, one voted for neither, and there was one tie. 

 

Rene Wood of Sheffield, the tie vote, eventually through her support to Lambert. Mayor Peter Marchetti's vote for Lambert was weighted. 

 

"I think if she is hired, there's got to be some sort of a discussion about the possibility of them working much closer together," Wood said about the two candidates. Quintos manages BRTA's contracted service operator.

 

Marchetti said that both interviewed well, but favored Lambert's answers. 

 

"Clearly, in my opinion, she had much more experience," he said. 

 

"I'm extremely concerned about his budgetary answers and how he handled the financial questions, and to me, as a former banker, finances are a big piece for me, and he didn't sell me on the managing of budgets." 

 

Lambert was the administrator of Haverhill's $37.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Previously, she was deputy administrator at the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority, according to her LinkedIn, was in transportation planning and administration in Arkansas and community development in Philadelphia. She has more than 30 years experience in transportation, planning and sustainability, and earned her master's degree in community and regional planning from Temple University. 

 

During her interview, Lambert was asked about some of the challenges she believes the BRTA is facing. She said she took a bus out to Great Barrington a couple of days before her interview to get a sense of the transit line. She found that there needs to be more bus signage and a more efficient run time.

 

"I think the challenge is you have no bus signs, or you need them. In Pittsfield, you need to have some bus signs," she said. 

 

"In some of the towns, you need to have a bus sign, or at least a shelter that indicated, 'Hey, get the BRTA here.' Secondly, I think the routes may need to be reviewed, because I think with the 9:21, you were 10 minutes late all the way through."

 

Lambert mentioned that she worked to implement microtransit while working at the MVTA.  

 

"First of all, you can have an on-demand ADA service instead of somebody calling 48 or 24 hours ahead. If a person wants to get a ride right away, they can use the microtransit to schedule it within two hours of their trip. That's the normal window, and it works like Uber that way," she explained. 

 

"So then they have the same flexibility to decide, 'Oh gosh, I need this at the grocery store because I forgot to get it,' or, 'Oh gosh, my doctor asked me back for a second test. I don't have time to schedule that ride,' but if I have an app, or I have a way to call in and someone can schedule that ride two hours ahead, then I have the same flexibility as if I had a car." 

 

Wood was impressed by this answer as "someone who is really interested in micro-transit."  She felt that the board and community would be better served if Lambert were appointed to the position and worked collaboratively with Quintos. 

 

Board members voted to create a contract with a six-month probation period for Lambert, and if she doesn't accept the position, to offer it to Quintos. 

 

Sarah Fontaine of Adams noted that she was only slightly leaning more toward one candidate.

 

"They're both very qualified, and they both interviewed very well. I just feel one interviewed a little better," she said. 

 

Ray Killeen of Cheshire voted for Quintos as he has a working relationship with him and that he has a certain excitement and drive that has positively impacted the BRTA. 

 

He noted the strength of both candidates. 

 

"With Kathleen, some of the things she discussed are already being implemented by the other candidate, so if he was able to give you all the information of exactly what's going on, you can see that they are very close to being equal," he said. 

 

During his interview on Sept. 8, Quintos touted decades of experience in the oil and gas industry and energy, as well as effective communication skills. According to his LinkedIn, he was the managing director for engineering and construction of the Delta Offshore Energy 3.2 GW onshore power plant and offshore LNG Terminal project, and held a senior leadership position with BP Oil and Gas Co. 

 

Quintos moved to the area for family and has worked at BTM for about two years. 

 

He compared transportation to the veins and arteries of a heart. 

 

"My highest priority is to be the best [regional transit authority] in Massachusetts. I like a little bit of competition, and at the same time, it's also supporting Berkshire County in general," the candidate said. 

 

"… That would be my priority, is to make transportation the nexus for improving the county." 

 

Questions asked by the board covered management style, problem-solving skills, finances, and more.