Transportation Secretary Needed to Go and Allow Fresh Start

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement in reaction to the announced resignation of Transportation Secretary Jim Aloisi.

I applaud and appreciate the decision made by Jim Aloisi to heed Senator Richard Tisei and my call last month for him to step down from his role as Transportation Secretary; my only regret is that he did not do it sooner.

During his time as Secretary, his lack of good judgment cost the taxpayers $300,000 to buy out the contract of his political nemesis Dan Grabauskas, numerous hours were lost by motorists on Easter Sunday due to preventable traffic delays and he pushed a “big brother” like plan to track drivers and charge them for their miles traveled.

While Aloisi made a number of mistakes during his tenure as Transportation Secretary, the blame for these missteps lied squarely on the lap of Governor Patrick. It comes as no surprise to me that with the election season heating up and with the Governor’s poll numbers sharply declining, Governor Patrick has decided to remove a liability.

We can only hope now that this change will allow us to realize the full potential for savings and efficiencies contemplated by the passage of Transportation reform plan earlier this year. The legislation has the potential to save billions of dollars for toll payers and taxpayers over the years if implemented as intended. It is up to the Administration to be sure this happens.