Tollway board loses lone critic
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has replaced the lone tollway board member critical of the agency's long list of politically connected firms and I-PASS signs that boast the governor's moniker.
Oak Brook resident Ronald Materick, former president of Tishman Construction, often drew glares at tollway board meetings for raising issues about consultants and contractors. He also was one of the few ever to vote "No" on bids or question matters to any great extent.
Thomas Canham, an Evanston real estate investor, was appointed to replace Materick and attended his first board meeting Thursday.
Materick's four-year term expired in May. The governor did not offer to reappoint him and, because of travel conflicts, he didn't pursue a new appointment.
"I don't know if the governor would have re-appointed me or not," Materick said. "I doubt it, though, because I think I ruffled a few feathers."
A Blagojevich spokesperson didn't return a phone call seeking comment.
Materick was deeply involved in tollway business for a board member, often meeting with engineers and visiting construction sites on his own time. He helped push for a more streamlined design processes and increased accountability from the slew of consultants hired by the tollway.
In his four years on the board, Materick never shied from raising questions about politically connected construction firms and consultants he said seemed to be receiving too much work.
He also was the strongest board critic of the tollway's decision to put Blagojevich's name on top of every I-PASS express lane in the 274-mile system.
"I think they are a blatant violation of the Illinois ethics laws," he said at the time.
The board was not given a chance to vote specifically on the design of the signs and tollway officials still insist they are a proper form of "public education."
Canham, a former attorney for Las Vegas casinos, is a partner and general counsel for Sonnenschein Capital LLC, which invests in commercial buildings. He contributed $500 to Blagojevich's campaign fund in May 2006, according to state records.