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Pa. Turnpike CEO quitting due to health reasons
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HARRISBURG -- The chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike has announced that he will leave his post at the end of the month, citing health issues.
Roger Nutt, 72, who led the turnpike commission since March 2011, said in a resignation letter dated Tuesday that he has been treated for heart problems during the past year. For his long-term health, he decided it was time to step aside.
"Especially over the last few weeks, I have felt fatigued and stressed and not able to perform as your CEO at the level that should be expected of me," Mr. Nutt wrote.
His letter also touted several accomplishments of his tenure, including updating the commission's process for contracting professional services and an expansion of its capital improvements program.
Mr. Nutt is the father of Gov. Tom Corbett's campaign manager and political adviser, Brian Nutt.
Before joining the Turnpike, Mr. Nutt worked for 28 years in various New Jersey transportation agencies, including as executive director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the New Jersey Highway Authority and the New Jersey Transit Corp.
He took over an agency that has been the subject of a state grand jury investigation since 2009 regarding its employment and procurement practices. The turnpike's growing debt burden also has begun to draw concerns as it seeks to comply with a 2007 law requiring it to make annual payments to the state Department of Transportation for infrastructure projects.
Mr. Nutt's exit follows an announcement last week that Department of Health Secretary Eli Avila was stepping down and returning to his home state of New York.
The commission's chief operating officer, Craig Shuey, will serve as acting CEO until a permanent replacement is named.
First Published October 10, 2012 12:00 am
