Facing ongoing criticism for program shortcomings, the Missouri Department of Transportation director announced his resignation (effective June 1) on Tuesday.
Henry Hungerbeeler did all he could
Henry Hungerbeeler did all he could.
Facing ongoing criticism for program shortcomings, the Missouri Department of Transportation director announced his resignation (effective June 1) on Tuesday.
The move follows a 14-city "MoDOT Listens to Missouri" tour, where Hungerbeeler and other officials faced the public in an attempt to improve the department's reputation. Rich Hood, director of communications at MoDOT, told ROADS & BRIDGES the campaign was a success. But apparently it wasn't enough to keep the dogs of Hungerbeeler, who has been paying the price of being caught in the wrong shadow. The effect of bad moves by the agency over a decade ago is still being felt today.
MoDOT was recently criticized by a blue ribbon panel that called for "reorganization of senior management at MoDOT in ways that the citizens of Missouri would perceive as a 'New Day Dawning.'"
In August, the Kansas City Star ran a series of stories attacking MoDOT. The newspaper revealed the agency often paid its contractors before knowing whether their work was done right, lost track of property it owned, ran an enormous public relations office and misplaced two checks worth a $250,000.
Missouri transportation commissioners arrived in Kansas City today in what was originally going to include an evaluation of Hungerbeeler. Now the group is working on finding a replacement.
