scandal

Who says crime doesn't pay. Michael P Lewis, 46, the Massachusetts Turnpike's Big Dig manager through serial scandals, multi-billion dollar cost overruns, shoddy construction, and a fatal ceiling collapse, 2000 to 2007 - the biggest public works management fiasco in America in modern times - the manager of this megamess is now on a Turnpike pension for life of $72,578 plus 80% health insurance, the Boston Globe reports.  read more »

What seemed a corruption scandal over payments of more than $100k to an anti-toll activist and a huge fight with the Orlando toll authority's PR man have fizzled away to nothing. The toll authority this week voted 3 to 1 to settle for $8,320 an 18 month old legal fight with PR guy Ron Pecora.
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The fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today could be a major blow to proposals for a central area toll in New York City. Spitzer was a major supporter of the congestion pricing plan and carried considerable political heft.

Spitzer was caught in a federal tax, money laundering and interstate prostitution case as a client of a $5k/hour call girl. He said today he had violated obligations to his family and "any sense of right and wrong."  read more »

There is some journalism school somewhere where they teach a "tollroad-execs-living-it-up-at-your-expense" formula story because you see the identical thing pop up all over the place, year after year in print, TV, radio and on the web - just the names, the meal menus, and the money are different.

The suspicious thing about these reports is that the toll industry's trade association IBTTA always gets a priceless plug  for running lap o' luxury, party-time events in exotic locales.
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CBS TV News in New York is reporting that MTA Bridges and Tunnels (MTAB&T) have given away 24,000 E-ZPasses so the favored can have free rides over the toller's nine toll bridges and tunnels in New York City, and presumably over other toll facilities in the regional E-ZPass system as well since the it can't discriminate.
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