State auditor says transportation chief needs to quit post

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Auditor Claire McCaskill is calling for the resignation of the Missouri Department of Transportation director and for the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to be abolished.

McCaskill, who was reacting to a recent series of stories in The Kansas City Star newspaper, said in a story published in The Star's Tuesday edition that improvements needed to be made in the department.

"It's so apparent that there needs to be a change in leadership, there needs to be a change in attitude," McCaskill said.

The newspaper's series showed that Missouri's roads are among the worst in the country, and that the Missouri Department of Transportation receives less revenue to fix them than most other states.

McCaskill, a Democrat who is considering a run for governor next year, said director Henry Hungerbeeler should step down from the position he has held since 1999. McCaskill also was angry about comments from department officials lauding the agency's performance.

Audit of surplus property

"The disconnect is startling," McCaskill said. "It's very clear to me that they don't yet understand that circling the wagons and saying, 'Oh, aren't we great,' is not going to be enough for Missourians."

In addition, McCaskill said the department's public relations staff should be slashed by two-thirds and its magazine discontinued.

A new audit will look at surplus property owned by the department, while a current audit looking at the public relations departments in state agencies includes the Transportation Department.

Rich Hood, MoDOT communications director, said the agency had no comment on McCaskill's remarks.

Highway commissioner James B. Anderson of Springfield also had no comment on McCaskill's call for Hungerbeeler to step down, but said many questions raised about MoDOT were valid.

"They deserve answers, and hopefully we can provide answers," Anderson said. "Are we proud of the condition of our roads? Absolutely not. Will this change overnight? No. Are we on the right path to make some changes? I think we are."

Lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year that would have created an independent inspector general for the department. Attempts to make the director a Cabinet-level position answerable to the governor failed.

McCaskill said that if she became governor, she would push for a transportation secretary to restore trust in MoDOT.

"The current system is not going to provide that accountability," McCaskill said. "It's going to take a dramatic change in the structure before Missourians begin to believe that it's a new day."