Former Daley appointee now on tollway board

A former top Chicago official has landed a seat on the board overseeing the suburban tollway system.

Gov. Pat Quinn appointed Maria Saldana to a seat on the board Saturday.

Under Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Saldana headed the Chicago Park District from 2002 to 2007, making her a central figure in a number of key city initiatives, including Millennium Park, the remodeling of Soldier Field and remake of Meigs Field.

Saldana's name was floated as a possible Daley appointee to the city clerk's position in 2006.

In making the tollway appointment, Quinn focused on Saldana's legal and financial background, saying her experience in those fields "will be of great service to the board and the millions of residents who use the tollway each year."

Saldana currently handles government borrowing business for Tennessee-based Duncan-Williams Inc.

In her financial work over the years, Saldana has received bonding business from the expansion of Daley-controlled O'Hare International Airport and Illinois public works projects, according to media reports at the time.

Saldana is also a current member of major transportation planning groups, including the Metropolitan Planning Council and Chicago Metropolis 2020.

She is the latest appointment in Quinn's remake of the tollway board in the wake of the arrest and ouster of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Saldana will fill a vacancy in the nine-member board left by David Andalcio, a Chicago businessman.