Four top people fired at Mass Pike, new CAO at DRJTBC (PERSONNEL)

Friday afternoon Massachusetts Turnpike chief Alan LeBovidge fired four top officers of the Authority:

- Ann Journeay, chief financial officer

- Robert Cole, head toll operations

- George Reed, director human resources

- Paul Anderson, head of employee relations

The story was broken in the Boston Herald today. Turnpike spokesman Mac Daniel is quoted as confirming the dismissals and as saying they are "operational changes" and part of the program to "reconfigure" the organization. Early this year LeBovidge fired the directors of legislative relations and commuter services.

All are jobs paid in the range $90k to $120k/yr.

LeBovidge who was appointed executive director in late November is an outspoken and activist boss. He hasn't criticized any particular officers but he has several times said the organization is dysfunctional and the culture is terrible, so it is not surprising he is getting rid of senior people. He has said the authority had employees unwilling to take responsibility who act as if they were "cowed" by an absolute monarch. They wouldn't express any opinion without having consultants do a report. It was much worse, he has said, than he thought when he took the job.

He said on the announcement of his appointment that he'd only taken the job with the assurance he would have a free rein to do whatever he needed to do to fix the Turnpike Authority.

65 years old, LeBovidge is a former head of the state's revenue (tax) department for six years. Before that he was a partner at Coopers Lybrand, now PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the big accounting firm.

One of LeBovidge's supporters told us he's "great," adding that he is able to do exactly what he thinks is needed to reform the authority because he "doesn't need the job (there)."

"If anyone moves to interfere, he'll just walk," they said.


Conoline CAO at DRJTBC

Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission have recruited Arnold J Conoline as their new chief administrative officer. He will manage a staff of 20 dealing with personnel, IT, insurance and purchasing. Conoline comes directly from LomaxCompanies, a private equity investment firm where was VP sales and marketing.

Prior to that was a cop for 23 years, rising to be Police Chief for Falls Township PA, immediately west of Morrisville in the greater Trenton NJ-Morrisville PA area. He has two university degrees. DRJTBC operates 20 bridges over the Delaware River from Trent upriver. Seven of them are toll bridges including Interstate 78 and I-80 bridges and US1.

Conoline replaces Jerry Fuqua who retired last fall.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-03-07