WisDOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi, one of the most concrete-pourin’, greenhouse-gas promotin’, water-pollutin’, unimaginative secretaries of transportation around, allegedly is under consideration for a post in the Obama administration. Busalachhi, somehow, has built himself a reputation nationally as a rail advocate, although he really sucks at it here in his home state.

From Traffic World:

Also under consideration are two members of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, Steve Heminger and Frank Busalacchi.

Heminger, named to the commission by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission and once was a congressional staffer.

Transportation industry sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Busalacchi, Wisconsin state secretary of transportation since 2003 and a former secretary-treasurer for the Teamsters local in Milwaukee, is a more likely candidate for head of the Federal Railroad Administration.

Selecting Busalacchi for anything wouldn’t be a move to the right by Obama; it would be a move to lunacy. How many times has Busalacchi embarrassed his boss, Gov. Doyle? Are we talking about the $685,000 Marquette Interchange web site? The open records violations? Let’s put that all on the national stage and see how it plays.

Golly, the new interchange even looks better than the rest of the aging, poorly-maintained system. What a surprise!

It is good news that the interchange came in under budget and on time. I don’t remember, though, the paper ever examining the project budget, the insurance pay-outs, the construction dust readings, the actual minority employment numbers or even if the design is a good one. I know the paper never questioned why the design contracts were amended dozens of times, rising in value from $9,999,999 in late 2001 to $20.7 million. Busalacchi says the odd contracting method of grotesquely low-balling a cost, then allowing the politically influential and generous corporations HNTB and CH2M Hill to methodically ask for contract amendments to increase their take-home pay saved the state money. He also says, though, that he cannot prove this.

The paper is baring its watchdog fangs when it comes to MPS’ $100 million Neighborhood Schools Initiative, but is just a fawning lapdog when it comes to the $800 million Marquette Interchange. Why is that?

And when the governor comes to the ribbon-cutting ceremony this week, let’s hope he brings a couple of cans of paint and a brush. The cheap-ass paint on the $800 million Interchange is already starting to peel. It’s not aesthetically pleasing.

Definitely a “must” to bookmark and follow.