Closing Thoughts: Michael Angelini, Worcester lawyer named to Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Board
Michael P. Angelini does a lot in Worcester. He is chairman of the city's largest law firm, Bowditch & Dewey LLP, and also is chairman of the board of Hanover Insurance Group. In addition, he's an avid sailor and family man. Recently, Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Angelini to the board of directors of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which is facing mounting criticism over its handling of Boston's bloated Central Artery project and a growing burden of debt. Here, Angelini, who has little practical transportation policy experience, opens up about why he was chosen, what he can do, and how he feels about riding the Pike.
What do you think you bring to the turnpike authority table? Why did Gov. Patrick choose you?
Ha, it must have been a misguided judgment. He never asked me to do anything, he didn't interview me. I know him personally, I met him in the course of the campaign and was involved in his transition. I think he trusts my judgment, and I'm pleased that he does, and hopefully he picked me because he wants me to exercise good judgment. I don't think it's any more complicated than that.
Obviously the issues of the authority are complicated and important, and we're in many ways at a tipping point here in Massachusetts and are going to have to make some hard decisions. I'm pleased that he had confidence in my ability to appreciate those decisions.
How do you respond to someone who says your appointment to the turnpike authority was political, and that you don't have a lot of transportation experience?
I respond to criticism in general by rejecting it. I'll be the first to say, I am by no means one of the state's leading authorities on transportation issues, nor am I the brightest bulb in the pack. But I have broad experience. I think I have a good sense of the needs of the state. I think I am experienced and am pretty good at decision making, and I always try to exercise sound judgment.
Could the governor have appointed a more appropriate person to be on the Mass. Turnpike Authority? Undoubtedly. But I'm not going to tell you who that is.
It now seems like a foregone conclusion that tolls on the Pike inside of Route 128 will be raised. Is that something you support?
You know, I'm not an expert in this. I'm in a learning stage. I was sworn in by the Governor less than a week ago (at the time of this interview). I just don't know enough about this to express an opinion. So my objective is to spend the next few weeks learning, reading, which I'm doing, talking to a number of people and getting great advice. I give great deference to whatever the staff comes up with. I view this job as like being a director of any other organization, which is to pay attention to points of view of people who are smart and do this everyday and pass judgment on them.
Have you been presented with alternatives, or in your readings, have you come across different solutions to raising tolls?
I think I'm reasonably familiar with the alternatives, and I'm reasonably familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives. But I don't know enough about the numbers and how they would construct, and the trade-offs. For example, raising a toll, you don't get all the money you think you'd get by extrapolation. Some people will seek alternative travel rather than pay that toll.
Outside of the Central Artery, what do you think is a main problem area on the Pike, or an intersection you see as particularly egregious?
I'm a guy who hates traffic, so wherever there's traffic, I dislike the highway that creates it. I use 146 to go to and from Boston, so I'm anxious for that to be completed as a means of getting onto the Pike and off it. I think that will, when completed, significantly influence the advantage of the Pike as a way to get into and out of Boston.
How often do you ride the Pike?
For any appreciable distance, a couple times per week. I usually am in Boston on the average a day per week. We have a house in West Falmouth, so I use the Pike to get to 495 on weekends when we go there. I'm a Fast Lane user, so I don't spend too much time at a toll booth.
Personally, do you find you enjoy wearing all of these different hats at different times, with responsibilities at Bowditch & Dewey, the turnpike authority, Hanover Insurance, etc.?
What I said a long time ago is that I'm not so good at any one thing that I should do it by itself. I get vitalized by doing different things and I'm very lucky to do that. I have a practice that is partly a business transaction practice, partly a business litigation practice, so that's kind of an unusual combination, but it's a vitalizing combination for me. I love the business world and giving advice to business people and making business decisions. I love the trial world, I love trying cases. I enjoy being the director of businesses. I truly enjoy those experiences.
This interview was conducted and edited for length by Cory S. Hopkins.
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