How deep is the rot at the 'Pike?

MTA = Money Thrown Away (0.00 / 0)

Reducing collectors is not going to solve any multi-million/billion dollar problems and everyone knows that.
It's the "friends, hacks and players" that would keep their jobs and they're the ones who have caused the problems.
The culture will continue and the transit costs for residents will rise regardless of a few less collectors.  

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by: Justin Credible @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 14:05:10 PM CST

Asleep at the wheel (0.00 / 0)

I'm sorry but I'm confused.  Wasn't it within the past few years (could be decades, as I get older, time flies faster) that the Turnpike had enough of a surplus that they cut tolls out here for a while in Western Mass? Or was that just a small Boston mea culpa for screwing Western Mass taxpayers on the Big Dig?

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."  

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by: pipi bendenhaft @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 14:17:08 PM CST

Two years ago three electricians on the Pike were cumulatively paid almost 800 hundred thousand dollars----for changing light bulbs. (4.00 / 1)

Prior to my retirement from the commonwealth, about ten years ago, the Pike was right on the cusp of paying off all debt. This would have legally triggered the dissolution of the Turnpike Authority. The Turnpike Chairman and the board authorized the borrowing of twenty million dollars----to piss away----just to keep the Pike in operation and the hordes of hacks. Bulger, Travaglini, and Finneran . You can lay blame at their feet. If Massachusetts were not a one party state, perhaps this would not have ocurred. I retract the statement as to where we should lay blame. The voters of Massachusetts are to blame.  

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by: MCRD @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 15:05:14 PM CST

Source? (5.50 / 2)

I'm not arguing that the MTA isn't wasteful... but $800k for three electricians to change light bulbs.  Color me skeptical.  Not saying your wrong, but based on your history of evidence-less astronomical claims, I'd like some data or corroboration please.

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by: stomv @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 15:54:21 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Sounds like the start of an old joke (4.50 / 2)

How many MTA employees does it take to change a lightbulb?

John Kerry: I will answer that question because I am a candidate of change.  Some say there is no need to change the lightbulb and I voted against changing the bulb before, because all the conditions for illumination were in place. But, now recent polls show growing confidence in the....

Director of MTA:  Two.  One to screw in the lightbulb and one to steady my crystal chandelier.

Patrick: Lots. Together we can.

Obama:  Lots. Together we can.

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by: gary @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 16:12:06 PM CST

[ Parent ]

One problem... (4.67 / 3)

Isn't the MTA indirectly under the control of the governor via appointments?

Haven't we had Republican governors in Massachusetts since 1991?

Seems kind of funny that you'd lay this patronage mess on Democrats.  

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by: NoPolitician @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 16:30:40 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Criminy, it's a joke (3.00 / 1)

Make up your Republican responses if you can find some humor button.  Here, I'll do it for you:

How many MTA employees does it take to screw in a lightbulb.

Romney:  None, my staff only screws the poor.

Happy?

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by: gary @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 16:43:40 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Come on gary (0.00 / 0)

What did you forget this is Massachusetts.

All of the good things done in government are due to the Dems and all of the bad things are the fault of the Repubs.

"The Liver is evil and must be punished" - W.C. Fields

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by: JK @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:11:45 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Blame the voters? (0.00 / 0)

You just said the Turnpike Chairman borrowed the $$ to piss away. When was that guy elected?
One party state? Wasn't Bill Weld the Governor about ten years ago when the $$ was borrowed?  

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by: Justin Credible @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 16:50:35 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The complicity (4.50 / 2)

Frankly, if the ceiling hadn't fallen on that poor woman, Matt Amarillo would probably still be the Director.  Romney tried for years to get control of the MTA with no assistance whatsoever from the Leg.

The complicity of Governors and the intransigeance of the Democratic Legislature share the blame of this rats nest called the MTA.  Add to that mix, Teamsters who have at least one hand in Gov. Patrick's pocket and change doesn't bode well.

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by: gary @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 17:03:56 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Ridiculous point (5.50 / 2)

You're now blaming the Republican-appointed board on the Democratic legislature? That's preposterous.

Here's an excerpt from the MTA's news archive

Governor Jane Swift today (February 6, 2002) announced the appointment of Matthew J. Amorello as Chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, the state entity that oversees the Central Artery / Tunnel Project. Swift also named Nicholas A. Lopardo and John M. Moscardelli as members of the Turnpike Authority Board.

"The new Turnpike Authority Board I have put in place will regain the confidence of the public and assure the people that their money is being well spent," said Swift. "The Board members will need to take the difficult steps required to fulfill their public obligation. In the end, they will be judged not only by the progress of the project, but by the confidence of the public."

Read that? Jane Swift said she "put the board in place". So even though Romney may have "tried for years to get control of the MTA" (following the normal but deliberately slow appointment process), it's obvious to me that the legislature tried to block Romney's third appointment in July 2006 because they smelled blood in the water with Kerry Healey, and didn't want a Romney-stacked board to continue for the forseeable future with an administration change coming in. Slimy, yes, but hardly responsible for years of mismanagement on the part of Republican appointees.

Oh, let's punctuate this with a quote by Romney's spokesperson:

``The constitution does not give the Legislature the power to make executive branch appointments," said Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's spokesman. ``That is a gubernatorial function.

Republican governors, not legislature, created this mess over the course of sixteen years.

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by: NoPolitician @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 17:22:15 PM CST

[ Parent ]

No (3.00 / 2)

You're now blaming the Republican-appointed board on the Democratic legislature? That's preposterous.

I'm actually blaming you.  Not only do you have no sense of humor, but you have a reading disability.

The complicity of Governors and the intransigeance of the Democratic Legislature share the blame of this rats nest called the MTA.

The Governors, as in the Republican Governors.

The Legislature, as in the Democratic Legislature.

All share blame in the MTA. Could the Governor or Legislature alone have remedied the monarchy that grew? No.  Together? Yes.

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by: gary @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 20:22:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Gubernatorial function (0.00 / 0)

Could the Governor or Legislature alone have remedied the monarchy that grew? No.  Together? Yes.

Hmm. Seems to me that appointing a majority to the MTA board who were determined to fix the problems would remedy this situation. Sure, Romney didn't quite get to do this in his four years in office (I'm not sure if his third appointment went through), but Republicans had sixteen years to remedy this. That's a very long time.

I suspect that if the Democratic legislature was to start meddling with the MTA, Republicans would have been up in arms, because:

The constitution does not give the Legislature the power to make executive branch appointments," said Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's spokesman. ``That is a gubernatorial function.

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by: NoPolitician @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 01:38:21 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Your partisan blame for this (and probably every) problem is moronic (0.00 / 0)

How nice and simple it must be to just blame one set of people for your problems with out ever actually examining the situation.  It must be easy to live in this world of yours.  (by the way, isn't this the type of thing that progressives/dems/liberals fought against with W and the either "evil" or "good"/with us or against us policies following September 11th?)

You point to quotes from Jane Swift simply because she had an (R) after her name but don't look at the fact that ideologically she was closer to a dem then repub.  Perhaps you have heard of the term RINO?  

Next you bring in a quote from Romney's spokesman, out of context.  With no link I might add.  Why was Fehrnstorm making this remark?

in May the state Senate slipped an amendment into the budget that would deny Romney his third appointment by extending the term of the incumbent board member, Jordan Levy, who is an ally of Amorello

I'm sorry was that also a republican controlled leg?  Oh, and let's bring up another line from that article:

For several years, Romney has called for the resignation of Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello over management of the $14.6 billion Big Dig.

Amorello, a former state senator with strong ties to legislative leaders, has steadfastly refused to give up his $223,000-a-year post.

Gary's point was right, the leg could have helped Romney get control of the MTA but they were too busy defending another useless, life time politician who was not qualified to be in that position in the first place.  And why defend Matt, because he gave their cousins, nephews, dead beat brothers, etc. jobs paying way more then they should make where they can steel all the money they want.

Problems are never going to get fixed as long as people continue to stupidly think of these issues in partisan ways (and that stands for both sides).

But hey, I'm sure you will just dismiss everything I said because I'm a conservative.

"The Liver is evil and must be punished" - W.C. Fields

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by: JK @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:44:12 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Blame Dukakis? Ha! (5.00 / 1)

And how nice it must be to live in a world where Democrats for everything, including the actions of Republican governors.

If the legislature appointed the MTA members, then I would most certainly not be making the statement that problems at the MTA were due to Republicans. But you're completely ignoring that sixteen years of Republican governors did zero to fix the MTA. They didn't even try until the tunnel collapse. And they had sixteen years of opportunity.

The Fehnstrom remark/legislative hijinks you're talking about happened in July 2006, 3.5 years into Romney's term. Sorry, too late, You can't squander 15.5 years away and then blame Democrats because they wouldn't let you stack the MTA before an impending regime change. You can't absolve the sixteen years of Republican failure over that.

Sixteen years. Think about that. Republicans are calling Deval Patrick a failure after less than one year, despite the fact that the entire administration had to do an about face in ideals, from Republican to Democratic. And you're not willing to accept the failure of no less than four Republican governors who turned that board over so many times you could plant corn in it? You have to resort to blaming Dukakis?

You make me laugh.  

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by: NoPolitician @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 16:20:08 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Don't put words in my mouth!!!! (0.00 / 0)

Where the F@#K did I say that Dukakis was to blame?

Where did I even say that dems were to blame alone?

I have said that this is a non-partisan issue and that the type of corruption and incompetence that lead to this situation is the fault of all involved, the governors, the legislators, the idiots who work for the MTA, etc.  I gave you an example of the leg trying to block Romney from removing Matt and a reason why.  

And either you are blatantly lying or you are just not paying attention:

[Republican Governors] didn't even try until the tunnel collapse. And they had sixteen years of opportunity.

Romney tried to remove Matt from the beginning of his term.

So if you are going to spew off at the mouth and say things like "you make me laugh", at least have your facts right.

"The Liver is evil and must be punished" - W.C. Fields

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by: JK @ Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 09:47:25 AM CST

[ Parent ]

The turnpike chairman at the time was a former Quincy or Weymouth state senator (0.00 / 0)

John Driscoll.

Why is it that no one has the ability to remember back ten or fifteen years ago?

Dukakis appointees reigned over the boards of Massport and the Turnpike for many years after he was gone.

Paul Celluci was a joke. He is/was the consumate Massachusetts political hack. He couldn't have found his own ass with both hands. He appointed many of these nitwits to the various state boards who were at best: laughable.  

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by: MCRD @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 10:24:40 AM CST

[ Parent ]

This: (0.00 / 0)

This:

"Anyway, good to see some sunlight and accountability in this agency ... Reforming the Big Dig Culture will not be pretty."

says it all...in a nutshell.  Reforming the Big Dig Culture won't be pretty, because it's been so deeply entrenched for so long, but it's got to be done.
While we're on the subject, part of the Ted Williams tunnel is designed so as to prevent bolt inspection.  The Big Dig culture's attitude is clearly  "What the public doesn't know won't hurt"  That, to me, is a load of baloney.  They're being sneaky and pulling rank, and, as usual, production is put before people.  

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by: mplo @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 17:08:05 PM CST

I think they need to bring in the "Bobs" (5.67 / 3)

:-)

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by: Brightonite @ Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 19:27:49 PM CST

Salaries of Mass Pike (0.00 / 0)

http://rope.wrko-am.fimc.net/h...

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bo...

The great Mass Pike Electricians ripoff was approx two years ago. Nonethe less. How can you justify this amount of money being paid to several people? Easy---they are politically connected.

Which all goes back to the one party state.

Please don't rag on me about the source. Fact is fact---don't blame the messenger.

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by: MCRD @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 10:16:30 AM CST

Patronage alive and well (0.00 / 0)

Former Chair of the Department of Revenue (appointed by Republican governors, also appointed by Romney to be the head of the Springfield Finance Control Board) and current Executive Director of the MTA Alan LeBovidge just announced that he would be hiring a new "chief of administration".

Who did he hire? None other than the former chief of staff of the Springfield Police Department, Jennifer Flagg, who came to Springfield along with the police chief (Ed Flynn) hired by Lebovidge the FCB 18 months ago. Her new salary? $115,000, up from the $80k she made while in Springfield.

How is that not a patronage hire? How can Lebovidge have any credibility to criticize employees at the MTA (who deserve criticism due to their nepotistic ways and high salaries) when he goes out and does the same thing himself?

Yes, greed comes in all parties. But gary, you fired the first shot. Instead of just complaining about the MTA, you made it partisan.

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by: NoPolitician @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 16:26:57 PM CST

Greed, politics and knock knock jokes (0.00 / 0)

Yes, greed comes in all parties. But gary, you fired the first shot. Instead of just complaining about the MTA, you made it partisan.

Partisan!  Leave france out of this.

Actually, I just made up some knock knock jokes, unaware that the 11th Democratic Commandment is 'thou shalt have no sense of humor."

Partisan..parisian...get it? Nevermind.

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by: gary @ Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 17:20:23 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Can I ask (0.00 / 0)

how you know this is a patronage hire?

Simply because of her connection to LeBovidge?

Or because of the salary increase?

Correct me if I am wrong but the $80K job was in the Springfield area and the $115K job is in the Boston area.  With cost of living that doesn't seem like much of an increase to me.

Also, a patronage hire suggests some sort of quip pro quo or that the person is somehow unqualified for the position.  Based on the info in your post, she is currently a chief of staff and therefore on the face qualified for the position.  Do you have information to suggest she isn't.

Simply hiring someone you have worked with in the past is not patronage.  I could just be that you are confident that person could do the job and understand what you expect from that position.  Something tells me you might not work in the private sector because this type of thing is very common.  

"The Liver is evil and must be punished" - W.C. Fields

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by: JK @ Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 10:07:08 AM CST

[ Parent ]