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Former T chief to blog at think tank

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 26, 2009 01:41 PM

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Former MBTA general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas used to joke that he would be working at a gardening center, keeping a low profile, after he left the T.

Former MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas

Not quite. He joined the think tank MassINC Today as a fellow.

“This is the garden center of ideas I guess that I’ve landed in,” Grabauskas said.

The unpaid fellowship will last six months, though Grabauskas said he has approval to leave earlier if he finds a longer-term job. In his new post, Grabauskas plans to blog and write commentary about transportation and other public policy issues.

This is "the first time in a long time to really be able to give my personal opinion on the issues of the day," Grabauskas said.

MBTA riders may know Grabauskas from the taped public announcements he used to make that were played regularly at stations. He resigned from the T in August under pressure from the Patrick administration. Under the terms of his contract, he was paid a $327,000 buyout.

“I’m still obviously in a quest for my future career option this is a temporary stop for me as I figure out what I’m going to do in the long run,” Grabauskas said.