New exec-director sought by Illinois Tollway (PERSONNEL)

Illinois State Toll Highway Administration, commonly known as the Illinois Tollway, is conducting a recruitment for a new executive-director (ED). Applications and resumes are being accepted Feb 8 through 24. The past couple of years have been tumultuous at the Tollway following the impeachment and removal from office of the state governor Rod Blagojevich. (CORRECTION)

All the good news of the Tollway was routinely issued in the name of the Governor before he was charged by the US Department of Justice with corruption, and he featured heavily in ceremonies and even signage over the tollways. So it was inevitable that some board members and senior staff would go when the governor was charged with coruption and removed.

Brian McPartlin left Oct 2008 just before the Governor's arrest. He was succeeded by Jeff Dailey, formerly chief engineer.  

Dailey threw it in Dec 17 2008 after just weeks in the job.

Dawn Catuara, chief of staff was acting ED until Feb 6 2009 when she stepped down saying the ED job was "not the right fit" for her.

Mike King chief of communications and marketing took over as acting ED and is still in the position. He keeps such a low profile nowhere is there a picture of him on the Tollway website or in any publicity pictures.

It is unclear whether King is applying for the full - we hesitate to use the word permanent - ED position.

The ED serves at the pleasure of the board, and the board can rapidly change in composition with political changes in the state. There's an election for a governor in November this year.

No pay is mentioned in the advertisement for ED. This presumably is up for negotiation. The ED's job clearly needs political as well as managerial skills the ad makes clear:

"The incumbent (ED) leads the personnel of the Authority to insure that effective and efficient current and future programming and customer service initiatives are instituted and maintained. In order to accomplish Authority goals and objectives the incumbent will represent the Authority to the Office of the Governor, the Illinois General Assembly and other state , federal, and local agencies

"The incumbent serves as an official representative of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority before the public, the press, and other stakeholder organizations.

"The incumbent engages in sensitive and confidential matters with the Chairman, Directors of the Board, Department Chiefs, Office of the Governor, State Legislature and other State, County and Federal agencies, State and national Associations and the general public."

The ED gets gets a personal staff of five.

Spokesman for the Tollway Joelle McGinnis says "there's never a dull moment" at the Tollway.

But she insists that through all the drama the Tollway has continued to implement their $6.3b improvement program (see pictures nearby), expanded their electronic tolling beyond 3 million transponders, and has been keeping the roads in good shape and collecting lots of tolls as usual.

Nov 20 2009 the Tollway opened their first all-electronic interchange - the completely new Eola Road Interchange on the Reagan Tollway (I-88) costing $36m (see map below).

Hopefully for a new ED their tenure will be a little longer and less dramatic than of recent. It is a huge but potentially great job at one of the top four or five of the nation's tollers.

Official notice of Employment Opportunity:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/sites/default/files/ISTHAed.pdf

TOLLROADSnews 2010-02-08