# New Executive Director Of Turnpike Authority Appointed



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

_O'Meara To Start Job Next Month_

*BOSTON -- *The Patrick administration began its takeover of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority on Wednesday, announcing an interim executive director and acknowledging the future possibility of broadbased tax increases to more equitably finance transportation needs.

Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen, who on Sunday becomes chairman of the Turnpike's board of directors, announced he was tapping Mary Jane O'Meara, who currently oversees the Tobin Bridge, to serve as the agency's interim director amid a search for a permanent executive director.

The secretary's assumption of the board chairmanship, as well as the return to daily Turnpike management under an executive director, were key elements of 2004 legislation aimed at integrating the notoriously secretive and patronage-laden Turnpike into the state's broader transportation network. They take effect July 1.
"Political battles and leadership turnover in the last administration squandered a lot time and energy," Cohen told reporters. "All of these woes have taken a toll on this agency and left it with a damaged reputation, unclear mission and an uncertain future."

He added: "It is extremely important that in a system where transportation infrastructure needs to be seamless and interconnected, the agencies that are responsible for those systems also need to be functioning in that kind of way."

Full Story: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13580080/detail.html


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