Governor Maura Healey has appointed Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian to the MBTA Board, filling a vacancy designated for a public safety expert. This move, announced on Tuesday by Statehouse News Service, follows the recent resignation of former Chair Tom Glynn on November 1. Healey has also elevated Tom McGee, the board’s vice chair and another former lawmaker, to the position of chair.
Following the appointment, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll praised Sheriff Koutoujian, describing him as a “highly respected and trusted leader.”
“As a legislator and a sheriff, he has always prioritized the health and safety of the people of Massachusetts, which is an important perspective to have on the board,” Healey said.
Sheriff Koutoujian first assumed his role as sheriff in 2016 and was reelected in 2022 without opposition.
Before his law enforcement career, Koutoujian spent 14 years as a state representative. In the 2013 special Democratic primary for Massachusetts’s 5th Congressional District, he was a standout candidate, finishing second among seven contenders with 21.9% of the vote—ranking above figures such as Senate President Pro Tempore Will Brownsberger and Senate President Karen Spilka. The primary was won by Katherine Clark, who secured 31.5% of the vote and subsequently won the general election to fill the seat vacated by Ed Markey’s election to the U.S. Senate.
