Turnpike Authority chief Amorello resigns

[Pujo]

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman, under fire since 12 tons of falling ceiling panels killed a motorist in a Big Dig highway tunnel, agreed Thursday to resign after weeks of pressure from the governor.

Matthew Amorello's resignation will be effective August 15, but he will continue to receive his $223,000 annual salary through February 15.

Source: AP (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/27/big.dig.ap/index.html)

About time...

[QuiGon]

Originally Posted by Pujo

Source: AP (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/27/big.dig.ap/index.html)

About time...

Yeah this was long overdue. It's kinda shameful how he held on for so long. I don't think I could stay in a job where the governor, speaker of the house, president of the senate, Boston Globe, Boston Herald and probably even my own mother were calling for my resignation.

[Pujo]

Originally Posted by QuiGon

Yeah this was long overdue. It's kinda shameful how he held on for so long. I don't think I could stay in a job where the governor, speaker of the house, president of the senate, Boston Globe, Boston Herald and probably even my own mother were calling for my resignation.

It's amazing he had enough hubris to stay on as long as he did. I think that if he didn't believe his removal would be upheld in court, he would have hung on even if the entire world turned against him.

[DarrylS]

If he was so bad, how did he survive in such a visible position for so long???...seems as though they are looking for a scapegoat.

[Pujo]

Originally Posted by GJAJ15

If he was so bad, how did he survive in such a visible position for so long???...seems as though they are looking for a scapegoat.

Nah, he really was that bad. Romney tried to fire him before for general incompetence but the SJC ruled against him (simple incompetence isn't enough to remove someone from an independent board in Mass - if you recall Jane Swift had the same result when she tried to remove Mithos and Levy). The reason he hung around so long is that the law in Massachusetts makes it hard to hold the Turnpike Board accountable. He's not the only responsible party by any means (and not the MOST responsible party, either) but it was time for him to go before this incident happened.

[QuiGon]

Originally Posted by GJAJ15

If he was so bad, how did he survive in such a visible position for so long???...seems as though they are looking for a scapegoat.

The governor had been trying to remove him from his position for several months now, but the legal wrangling and maneuvering just wasn't able to get it done.

[Patters]

I have no idea how bad Amorello was. I haven't read a really convincing article one way or another. I think this is all a political game. Romney needs plenty of photos of himself wearing a hard hat, being "on the job," demonstrating subject matter expertise, etc. for his presidential campaign. The only thing clear about Amorello is that he was not a nice guy, but was a typical frugal Republican (and kept the Big Dig more or less in budget in its last years). But, maybe this is a case where he was penny wise and pound foolish.

[Pujo]

Originally Posted by Patters

I have no idea how bad Amorello was. I haven't read a really convincing article one way or another. I think this is all a political game. Romney needs plenty of photos of himself wearing a hard hat, being "on the job," demonstrating subject matter expertise, etc. for his presidential campaign. The only thing clear about Amorello is that he was not a nice guy, but was a typical frugal Republican (and kept the Big Dig more or less in budget in its last years). But, maybe this is a case where he was penny wise and pound foolish.

That's exactly it - he was brought in to get the agency under financial control, and he was somewhat successful with that. But now the job has changed - the authority needs a chairman who can deal with the safety and PR issues now affecting the project.

No doubt about Romney posing for the cameras, but I don't think he'd have gone after a fellow Republican so much if he didn't really think it was time for him to go.