Certain to create speculation and interest in his replacement, Massachusetts Port Authority CEO Thomas Glynn is stepping down after six years leading the agency, which oversees Boston’s Logan Airport and has also helped to spearhead commercial real estate development in the city’s Seaport District.
Glynn was hired under Governor Charlie Baker’s predecessor, Deval Patrick. The Massport board makes the choice. But now, a majority of the seven-member board consists of Baker appointees, including Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack. Glynn’s departure would take place in mid-November, soon after the gubernatorial election.
“I said to the senior staff the first time, I knew that this was considered the best public-sector job in the Northeast,” Glynn said. “It’s because of the great people who have always worked here. It’s a team. That’s a very special thing to experience.”
Glynn’s accomplishments at Massport include the growth in international traffic at Logan with more than 20 new international nonstop routes have been announced or launched since 2012, driving a 65 percent increase in international passengers. Soon after he joined Massport, he worked with JetBlue to bring new passenger service to revive Worcester Regional Airport. He also oversaw the installation of a new landing system that makes it easier for pilots to navigate through the foggy conditions that sometimes plague that airport.
Glynn also played a key role in jump-starting a massive dredging project that will prepare Boston Harbor and Massport’s Conley terminal to handle larger container ships. Late last month, the Legislature included an authorization for $100 million in an economic development bill to upgrade Massport’s cruise ship terminal in South Boston. Glynn, working with Senator Nick Collins and others in the Legislature, had pushed for the funding on Beacon Hill.
He has also overseen a flurry of development activity in the Seaport, including the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel, a $550 million project that broke ground earlier this year across from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
“I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot of the things the board asked me to do,” Glynn told the Globe. “Six years is a long time in the job, and I’m 72.”
