Acting exec-directors change at Illinois Tollway

Acting executive director of the Illinois Tollway Dawn Catuara has resigned and been replaced by Michael King, the marketing and communications director.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Catuara resigned two days after the US Attorney's office subpoenaed Tollway records relating to four contractors in connection with the criminal case against former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

A spokesman said the resignation was unconnected to the subpoenas. Joelle McGinnis says Catuara told the directors of the Tollway board when she joined as chief of staff as far back as Oct 2007 that she wasn't interested in being ED.

Catuara was acting ED before and after Jeffrey Dailey's short tenure as full executive director. Dailey who came from the NTTA in Dallas TX was ED hardly a month. Three weeks into his term Blagojevich was arrested. He left a week later.

see http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3771

Blagojevich was heard in one of the famous profanity-ridden tapes to be using the Tollway's $1.8b "Green Lanes" and interchange improvement project as leverage to extort money from Tollway contractors.

The Tollway has a huge public image problem due to the way it allowed itself to be used politically by Blagojevich for self-promotion (seen in the many open road tolling signs).

More than almost any other state agency the Tollway's public face was a face with a shock of black hair over the forehead (see cartoon nearby).

King (nearby too) has a naked forehead!

TOLLROADSnews 2009-02-10