Rendell names replacement for fired head of Turnpike Commission
Governor Ed Rendell has named a Philadelphia lawyer as the new Chairman to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Rendell removed Mitchell Rubin from the post this morning as fallout from the fraud conviction of former state Senator Vince Fumo.
Governor Ed Rendell has named a Philadelphia lawyer as the new Chairman to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Rendell removed Mitchell Rubin from the post this morning as fallout from the fraud conviction of former state Senator Vince Fumo.
Transcript:
Fumo was convicted of awarding his friend Mitchell Rubin a $150,000 dollar no-work contract for the Senate. Governor Rendell says the evidence was overwhelming and it’s no longer appropriate to have Rubin serve as a Turnpike Commissioner.
Rendell: “The predicate for that crime having been found by the jury was that there was no work done and $150,000 dollars in state funds taken.”
Rendell had asked Rubin to resign this weekend. But instead, Rubin took a leave of absence. So Rendell fired him today.
Rubin’s wife, Ruth Arnao, was convicted along with Fumo.
Rendell appointed Michael Pratt, a partner with the lawfirm Pepper Hamilton, to replace Rubin. Pratt has a degree from Harvard law school and served as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 2008.
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