Thursday, 4:30 PM
Worcester lawyer appointed to Turnpike board
(Globe file photo)
By Globe Staff
Governor Deval Patrick moved a step closer today to taking control of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, appointing a Worcester lawyer who headed his transition team to fill one of two vacancies on the agency's board.
Michael P. Angelini, 65, will fill the seat vacated by Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen when he was elevated to chairman. Patrick will take full control of the five-member board that oversees the Big Dig and the state turnpike system when he fills the remaining vacancy, which opened when John M. Moscardelli resigned this month.
Angelini is a friend of Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray and has been active in Worcester politics and was an early supporter of Patrick. He was part of a three-member team that lead the Patrick administration's transition into office.
As an attorney, Angelini has been a past president of the Worcester County Bar Association and has served on the state's Judicial Nominating Committee. According to the Patrick administration, he has specialized in business trial and transaction work in his almost 40 years as a lawyer.
"I am honored that Governor Patrick has chosen me to serve on the Board of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority," Angelini said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Secretary Cohen and the other board members to ensure that drivers have access to a high-quality transportation system that they both need and deserve."
Only two of Governor Mitt Romney's appointees remain on the board, Republicans Mary Connaughton and Judy Pagliuca.
It is rare for a Massachusetts governor to control the board of one of the state's major quasi-independent agencies so early in his term. The law providing staggered terms was implemented decades ago to insulate those agencies from the politics of Beacon Hill.
