Shocking $713K Remote Work Contract: How a Consultant Earned Big from His South Carolina Home

The WBZ I-Team has uncovered a no-bid contract for an MBTA consultant who collected nearly three quarters of a million dollars in public funds working almost exclusively from his home in South Carolina.

James "Rod" Brooks was hired as a consultant for the T in 2023. At the time he got a one-year no-bid contract. Nearly three years later he's still getting paid.

Mary Connaughton is the Director of Government Transparency with the Pioneer Institute, a government watchdog group. She tells the I-Team, "if it's short term, there's an emergency there's some type of issue that has to be resolved, yes, no-bid, go out and find the person that can do it. But why continue to extend that?"

MBTA consultant paid $713,000 since 2023

MBTA records obtained by the I-Team show from July of 2023 to January 2026, Brooks was paid more than $713,000 in public funds.

"That's a lot of money and it's a good gig if you can get it. But that's a lot of money and the public needs to know why and what's being done for that money," Connaughton said. "That's not chump change that's a lot of money."

Timesheets filed by Brooks list much of his time as remote, working from his home in South Carolina, spending on average less than 9% of his time in Massachusetts. Some months, records show Brooks never came to the Bay State at all.

"That doesn't accomplish a lot in terms of building a team in terms of getting things done," Connaughton said. "The public deserves to know what this job is all about."

Previously worked for MBTA GM in New York

Brooks' LinkedIn page shows he was the Senior Vice President for Operations for the Long Island Rail Road where he worked for Phil Eng, the General Manager of the T and the Interim Secretary of Transportation.

His contract with the T lists him as a senior advisor for capital/operations/safety. The MBTA says he has worked on projects that include the South Coast Rail and T speed restrictions. Eng did not respond to the I-Team's request for an on-camera interview. In a statement that did not address Brooks' remote work, the MBTA said it was Eng's decision to hire Brooks.

"General Manager Phillip Eng's decision to bring on Mr. Brooks was based on his proven track record of delivering results under pressure at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the busiest commuter rail system in North America," the MBTA said in the statement. "His specialized expertise has been invaluable for the T on a number of major projects which have improved safety and reliability across the MBTA."

Connaughton said, "I think we need to figure out what's going on with this contract. And is he achieving the real objectives of the contract. We don't know."

The I-Team reached out to Brooks. He did not respond to our request for an on-camera interview. He is billing the T about $26,000 a month under his current contract, which runs through the end of 2026.