Pike Does the Right Thing, Mac Daniel Takes The Road Less Traveled

Hate Love?! Oooh, We're all mixed up inside today.

HATE! : One year ago TO-DAY, the Mass. Turnpike Authority, a.k.a. The Big Dig, killed a woman. Remember? Milena Del Valle was killed on July 10 2006 as she and her husband drove through the Big Dig's I-90 Connector. The zillion-dollar ceiling panels collapsed, crushing Angel Del Valle's wife beside him before he was able to crawl to safety. Today the National Transportation Safety Board has indicated that "poor creep resistance" of the epoxy was part of the issue in the Big Dig failure a year ago. God, we hate the Mass Turnpike Authority.

LOVE! We really, really want to hate the Turnpike Authority with all our hearts today but we can't. Why? Because, only coincidentally of course, Gov. Deval Patrick has announced the appointment of none other than Mac Daniel (shock!) to be the Pike's Director of Communications. Dude - this is a case of the best man for the job if we ever saw one. Good for him! Really!

For those who are not part of our cult, Mac Daniel has written "Starts and Stops," Greater Boston's transportation column of record for five years, and has been with the Globe for 10+. He's smart and trustworthy. We'll miss his column in the Globe, but Mac’s new job gives us hope that our Secretary of Transportation meant it when he said, “One of my goals as Turnpike chairman is to ensure that the Turnpike Authority is open and accountable.”

Image of Radio Raheem from Do the Right Thing

Post contributed by Kristin MacDougall