Fat Matt Finally Walks the Plank

"Fat Matt Amorello was a complete boob to the bitter end," writes Howie Carr in today's Boston Herald website about the embattled head of the Mass Turnpike's Big Dig. "Two weeks ago today, he had a deal on the table that would have paid him through the end of the 2007 fiscal year - $223,000.

Here it is, exactly 14 days later. The bloated fool spent upwards of $1 million on white-shoed lawyers, and he ends up with a deal by which he leaves the payroll on Feb. 15, 4 1/2 months earlier than under the first deal.

So Fat Matt is out $85,000 - and it cost him a million bucks to lose the money, and his job. Of course, that million was just our money. What did Fat Matt care? It’s only the tollpayers’ dough.

If there were any justice in the world, a way would be found to put a lien on his little house in Wenham to get back at least a portion of the public money that he has squandered on his shameless mouthpieces here in the final days.

Two weeks ago, the legislative leadership thought they’d worked out a deal for their old colleague to walk the plank, with dignity. He hadn’t returned their phone calls all day, not very nice of Matt, considering that for years they had been his sole base of support. But finally, wilting under the public pressure to do something about the unfolding disaster, they got Fat Matt on the speaker phone and dictated the terms of his surrender.

But it was a golden parachute, allowing him to retain a seat on the Turnpike board and that $223,000 salary. Just before 5 o’clock he went outside to do a live news conference. Back at the State House, both branches were getting ready to turn over the tunnels investigation to Gov. Mitt Romney."