AP is reporting that at a press conference a few minutes ago Governor Romney indicated that he wants to force Matt Amorello out as chairman of the Turnpike Authority.
Someone ought to ask Christy Mihos what he thinks about Romney’s move. Then-Governor Jane Swift tried to fire Mihos and fellow Turnpike board member Jordan Levy for what she considered to be financial mismanagement. A very nasty court battle ensued, which Levy and Mihos ultimately won when the SJC concluded that Swift had not made a good enough case to fire them. Mihos, not satisfied with getting his job back, then sued Swift personally for violating his civil rights. (Vindictive much?)
If he really decides to go this route, Romney may ultimately find himself in a predicament similar to Swift’s. Although last night’s tragedy is obviously unacceptable, it does not yet seem obvious that Matt Amorello is directly at fault for it, especially since the part of the tunnel that collapsed was built before he was chairman. Perhaps the honorable thing for Amorello to do would be to declare himself accountable as the chairman and voluntarily resign – but I’m guessing that he won’t choose to do that. And, under the high standard of blame that the SJC has demanded for the Governor to remove a member of an independent authority like the Turnpike, Romney is setting himself a tough row to hoe.
See if you can find out whose watch this was on for the 1) design 2) construction 3) oversight 4) quality control 5) signoff for payment in full?
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The Big Dig, 16 years of Professional Management, Oversight. Brought to you safely “on time” and “on budget” by the Massachusetts Republican Dynasty of Weld, Cellucci, Swift, Romney and Healey.
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“Please remember to Vote Republican in November for 4 more years of Hign Level Professional Management.”
NOW do you think the SJC might be persuaded that issuing the advisory opnion that Romney sought last year would have ‘legal urgency’?
How could you say Amorello is not responsible? He has continuously opined that the tunnels are safe, when today proves they are NOT. It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t there when he built it; he took over the organization and he is responsible for determining if the tunnels are safe. If there is a question AT ALL, the tunnels should be closed until it is determined for sure that they are.
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He doesn’t have to build the roof himself to be responsible. He is the chief operating officer of an organization trusted with the safety of thousands of motorists daily. Everyone knew there were problems with the tunnels; his job was to fix those problems and ensure their safety. He failed his job and should be fired. If Ken Lay can be charged for irrationally running a business into the ground, I think Amorello can be held just as responsible for irrationally ignoring major safety concerns.
No, I did not. I said that it is not yet obvious that he was “directly at fault” for what happened last night. If it comes out that he knew, or even should have known, about safety issues with the roof, and nonetheless went on blithely assuring everyone that the tunnels were safe while doing nothing about those issues, then sure, he is probably not only responsible but maybe criminally liable for what happened.
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But as far as I know, we don’t have any information along those lines yet. And if you’ve read the SJC decision (which I recommend doing), you know that Romney will have to build a pretty strong case against Amorello to fire him. It will not be enough just to say “he was in charge, this happened on his watch” – under the court’s decision, that kind of “responsibility” is not enough to fire him.
Seen this? Reilly’s talking about a negligent manslaughter charge, doesn’t say against whom. Shouldn’t he be talking about mandatory and extensive inspections before the tunnels can open, rather than throwing something like this out first? Or is going straight to punishment his duty as DA?