Gov. Patrick Tries, Fails To Remove T Chief

The MBTA board of directors is split 4-4 on whether to remove the T’s general manager, Daniel Grabauskas. The board meeting continues after more than four hours in closed session.

Grabauskas has been under fire from Gov. Deval Patrick for the way he has handled safety issues in his four-year tenure at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Transportation Secretary James Aloisi worked late into Wednesday night to round up enough votes to suspend or remove the general manager, but that effort failed.

Before the meeting started, Aloisi said recent events have brought into sharp relief policy differences that must be resolved.

Over the past few weeks, some board members have written letters criticizing Grabausksas’s leadership and his concern for safety.

Grabauskas argues Patrick and Aloisi — both Democrats — are attacking him because he is a Republican appointee.

Other board members have written to express support for Grabauskas, and he has the support of key lawmakers and the mayors of Boston and Newton.

Gov. Deval Patrick said he has asked the former head of the John Hancock Insurance Company to conduct an independent review of the agency.