Taxman for Turnpike in Massachusetts - Gov's nominee LeBovidge

George III's Massachusetts taxman was tarred and feathered by the mob in Boston. Today's chief taxman gets sentenced by the popularly elected governor to try run the state Turnpike.

Alan LeBovidge - Massachusetts commissioner of revenue 2001 until a few months ago - is being recommended to the Turnpike Authority board as the new chief executive by the state governor Deval Patrick. Convention has it that a state governor's choice should be approved, though the last state governor Mitt Romney had some troubles getting the Turnpike board to do his bidding on chief Matt Amorello.

Interim CEO Mary Jane O'Meara, a major figure in the toll industry, will be allowed to return to her post running smooth uncontroversial operations at the Massport authority's Tobin toll bridge.

LeBovidge told the Boston Globe: "I am doing it because they are committed to putting in place an efficient, cost-effective operation."

Asked about his transportation experience, he said: "I drive a car. This is not a transportation job. This is a management job. The road is done."

Before he accepted the job from the governor, LeBovidge, said he wanted to make sure he would have the right to hire and fire, saying: "I am not going to be beholden to anyone."

The AP quotes Gov Patrick as saying: "I think a lot of Alan LeBovidge. I think he’s a good add for the Turnpike. I think he’ll help drive our agenda there. We need somebody who is going to scrub down deep and look for every available efficiency, try to make a blunt assessment of the talent we have and the talent gaps that we have and I think he can do that."

As head of the revenue department LeBovidge was opposed by the labor union representing the civil servants who worked for him. They reportedly were behind his removal on the change of administration at the beginning of this year.

Before being appointed tax chief LeBovidge had a 32 year career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (formerly Lybrands) the big accounting firm, where he was a partner. He has a BA in economics in 1964 from UMass Amherst, a degree from Boston College School of Law, and a CPA accountant's qualification. He is 65.

COMMENT: "The road is done," he says. Famous last words those. We think this guy will soon discover a road is never done. But we wish him well in that scrubbing down deep. TRnews)

TOLLROADSnews 2007-11-19