Turnpike official resigns from board

A longtime board member of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority resigned suddenly this week, clearing the way for Governor Deval Patrick to fulfill his goal of swiftly taking control of the agency that oversees the Big Dig and the state's turnpike system.

John M. Moscardelli, who was appointed to the board in 2002, resigned a month after a change in state law stripped board members of several perks, including health insurance and a $25,800 annual stipend. It was the only state board that paid benefits, state officials said.

It was unclear whether the Patrick administration pressured Moscardelli to resign a year before his term expired.

With the departure, the governor will control a majority of the five-member board. He has already named Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen to succeed Thomas Trimarco, a Romney appointee who resigned in February. Patrick will now appoint two additional members, Moscardelli's replacement and a successor to former turnpike chairman John Cogliano, whose term ended in June.

Moscardelli was not available to comment and gave no reason for his departure in a resignation letter submitted Monday.

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.

Though Moscardelli and Patrick both opposed the Romney administration's efforts to remove tolls from the western turnpike, Moscardelli was also viewed as an ally of former turnpike chairman Matthew J. Amorello, who was forced to resign after last summer's fatal ceiling collapse in the Interstate 90 connector tunnel.

Patrick has said he wants to overhaul the quasi-independent authorities to streamline them and make them more accountable.

Romney spent most of his term trying to gain control of the Turnpike Authority, succeeding only after the collapse killed 38-year-old Milena Del Valle. After taking control of the board, Romney forced Amorello's resignation, took over the investigation into the tunnel collapse, cracked down on generous personnel policies, and moved to eliminate tolls.

Connaughton, whose term expires in about three years, said that Patrick would now be able to put in place policies he supports.

"While it is an independent board, he has clear control of the board and has accountability for the actions of the Turnpike Authority," she said. "The policies and directives he puts forth will no doubt become policy for the board. If he wanted the board to dissolve, it would vote to dissolve."

In March the Romney-controlled board refused to make permanent discounts for Fast Lane users as Patrick had requested.

Under a bill approved by the Legislature, the structure of the Turnpike Authority changed July 1. Instead of the appointed chairman acting as the agency's chief executive, a hired manager now oversees the agency. In addition, turnpike board members lost their benefits: a stipend, health insurance, and the right to count their years of board service toward a state pension.

Moscardelli, a lawyer in private practice, has in the past worked as a Massachusetts assistant attorney general and as a member of the Boston Redevelopment Authority board.

"Secretary Cohen wishes Mr. Moscardelli well and appreciates his service to the Turnpike Authority board," said John Lamontagne, spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation. "He looks forward to working with a full board of directors that will work to professionalize the turnpike and its operations and restore public confidence in the Turnpike Authority."

Mary Jane O'Meara, acting executive director of the authority, said: "Mr. Moscardelli has been an integral part of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board for five years, offering challenges and solutions on a host of issues. He will be missed, and we wish him well."

Andrea Estes can be reached at estes@globe.com.