Ex-ITD chief seeks redress for firing
Friday, August 21, 2009 10:40 AM PDT
BOISE (AP) — Fired Idaho Transportation Department director Pamela Lowe is seeking damages from the state for improper termination and gender discrimination.
Among her claims: One member of the board that oversees her agency said ‘‘no little girl would be able to run this department.’’
Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Darrell Manning said the claims are without merit. Gov. C.L. ‘‘Butch’’ Otter’s aides declined to comment.
In documents obtained by The Associated Press from the Idaho secretary of state, Lowe details a whistleblower claim where she says she was fired after refusing to relent to pressure not to cut a big highway contract that benefited large political contributors to Otter and state Sen. John McGee, the Senate Transportation Committee chairman.
Lowe alleges she was repeatedly told not to trim a $50 million project management contract with road builders Washington Group International and Denver-based CH2M Hill for the $1 billion ‘‘Connecting Idaho’’ highway program.
She says pressure came from former Otter chief of staff Jeff Malmen, now an Idaho Power Co. lobbyist, and from Manning, an Otter appointee.
‘‘Ms. Lowe was not deterred by these threats and was determined to do what was in the best interest of the State of Idaho and its citizens,’’ according to her claim.
