Who ever heard of a bureaucrat who’d rather go on vacation than spend $1 billion?
Say hello to Astrid Glynn, New York state’s commissioner of transportation.
And goodbye, as she departs on a three-week Borneo vacation – never mind that she’s the state official tasked with identifying the infrastructure projects upon which $1.1 billion in federal stimulus money will be spent. And the contractors who’ll get the cash.
Alas, Glynn will be in Borneo from tomorrow through April 4.
Borneo?
She’s got to be kidding.
It’s not as if it was completely unknown that the state would be getting stimulus money – and when it would arrive.
Indeed, the rough outlines of the stimulus package was known in December.
Besides, Glynn is also fully aware of when the state fiscal year begins: April 1.
And she may have heard that the state faces a $14 billion deficit. Isn’t it just possible that other decisions affecting the Transportation Department might have to be made over the next three weeks?
How on earth could she schedule such a long vacation?
More to the point, how could Gov. Paterson approve it?
Is anybody in charge in Albany?
Don’t answer that question.