Illinois Tollway still lacks top staff - Blagojevich fallout (PERSONNEL)

The Blagojevich fiasco in Illinois continues to play havoc with the Illinois Tollway which is still without a permanent executive director. It is nine months now since the crooked boy-governor's Tollway appointee Brian McPartlin resigned - just ahead of revelation of the US Department of Justice's indictments.

This week Tracie Smith chief of administration left the Tollway which is being run on a temporary basis by Michael King, whose fulltime job is marketing and communications.

The Chicago Tribune today quotes a Tollway director Steven Harris as saying today he's frustrated and angry over the departure of Smith and King's absence on a vacation.

Harris said he can't get an adequate explanation for what's going on from Tollway chairman John Mitola, a Blagojevich crony who survived the dramatic corruption scandals of last winter.

Under Mitola and McPartlin the Tollway collaborated with Blagojevich to make the tollroads his political tool.

See the massive sign giving Blagojevich credit for open road tolling nearby:

One of the federal corruption charges cites a profanity-ridden recording of the Governor discussing the shakedown of a Tollway contractor.

The more the contractor pays him the larger the Tollway contract will be, the governor says, according to the US Government account.

Still Governor's call

At most public toll authorities the board of directors appoints the executive director but in Illinois this is still a governor's call. Blagojevich's successor as governor Pat Quinn is weak and indecisive, unable apparently to fill many top state government positions.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-06-26