Lawmaker: Tollway turnover shows need for ethics change

SPRINGFIELD - A suburban lawmaker told colleagues Tuesday that the recent revolving door on the tollway's chief's office shows why state ethics laws need to be tightened.

State Rep. Sidney Matthias, a Buffalo Grove Republican, suggested the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Government Reform look into changing the process for granting exceptions that allow state workers to go to work for companies with which their agencies did business without first waiting a year.

The issue made headlines last year when then-tollway chief Brian McPartlin left to work for an engineering firm that has done millions of dollars in business with the agency. McPartlin later decided not to take the position with McDonough Associates after controversy surfaced over a potential conflict of interest.

Since then, however, there's been a veritable revolving door of tollway executives. After McPartlin, there was Jeff Dailey, who quit after just a few weeks on the job, Dawn Catuara did two stints as temporary chief, and now Mike King, who had been the top marketing and communications official, is the acting executive director.

Contacted after the hearing, spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said tollway employees are subject to the same laws and regulations as any state worker.

Regardless, the incident brought to light just how often exceptions are granted for state workers who seek to avoid the one-year waiting period that's designed to prevent unethical behavior.

Under current ethics law, a state employee must wait a year before going to work for a company that the employee's agency had a business relationship with.

However, an employee can file a written request for a waiver that is granted by the executive ethics commission. But that process is largely confidential, with only summary information released to the public.

Matthias came before the committee to promote his legislation that would make these hearings public.

"Obviously, these issues were pretty prominent in the newspapers, and I received a lot of irate phone calls from constituents who felt the process was unfair and they had no input into it and it seemed like it was going to be automatic," Mathias said.

There was no vote Tuesday and the legislation remains pending at the Capitol.