The controversial pay-raise vote of 2005 helped launch the current reform movement in Harrisburg by revealing to voters many other failings in the state legislature. A similar scenario could occur with the debate over whether to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Once people learn more about the toll road's management, regardless of what happens to the actual road, voters will likely conclude that the Turnpike Commission should be abolished because it is little more than a patronage piggy bank used for rewarding the politically well-connected.

Most people have long known the turnpike is a place where people are hired because of who they know and which state legislative leader wants to repay a favor. There are countless stories of friends and relatives of board members or their legislative sponsors being hired over other, non-connected applicants for jobs as truck drivers, toll takers or supervisors.

But what was once seen as a quaint, old-school patronage machine can no longer be tolerated when the state's roads and bridges are crumbling and there is an estimated $1 billion shortfall in funding for transportation in the state.

Most reports reveal that the old-school patronage jobs still dominate the Turnpike Commission. But that form of abuse is chump change compared with what is now called "pinstripe patronage," which consists mostly of no-bid contracts for bond underwriting, legal services and management consulting.

One example of pinstrip patronage surfaced with the federal indictment of state Sen. Vincent Fumo. The powerful Philadelphia Democrat is being charged with corruption in a 247-page indictment that also shined light on two of Fumo's close associates — and the Turnpike Commission.

One is Mitch Rubin, who is married to a former Fumo staffer who was also charged in the federal indictment for her role as the head of a Philadelphia nonprofit agency with close ties to Fumo. Rubin was appointed to the Turnpike Commission when the Democrats regained the governor's mansion in Harrisburg in 2003.

Once on the commission, Rubin hired another Fumo pal, Mike Palermo, and Palermo's company, MPConsulting. Federal investigators revealed that despite receipts showing the Turnpike Commission paid MPConsulting $220,000 in less than two years, the turnpike has no written record to reflect any work done by Palermo.

What records investigators were able to find suggest Palermo was primarily working as the manager of Fumo's 100-acre farm near Harrisburg.

Palermo has been linked to numerous additions to the turnpike payroll, including a cousin, a sister-in-law, a nephew and numerous friends.

A system that encourages hiring people with connections yet offers little oversight or accountability has contributed to the fact that the turnpike now has 2,240 employees, which works out to about four people for every mile of the toll road.

Compared to PennDOT's payroll and thousands of miles of highway, the Turnpike Commission has 12 times the number of employees as PennDOT. Though a crude rule of thumb for efficiency, this comparison surely warrants legislative hearings or an investigation by the state auditor general.

Commenting on the turnpike and the lease proposal being advanced by Gov. Ed Rendell, the Manufacturers' Association of Western Pennsylvania notes, "The turnpike is ravaged by political corruption and patronage by both political parties."

During the 1990s, former Butler County state Rep. Pat Carone held hearings looking into patronage at the turnpike and the trend of awarding no-bid contracts for bond underwriting and legal services. But the Harrisburg reform movement lacked today's traction, and the proposed reforms went nowhere.

Writing a recent opinion column in a Pittsburgh newspaper, turnpike critic Bill Keisling spelled out the patronage practices and noted that "bond underwriters, bond solicitors and others received extremely lucrative, no-bid turnpike contracts and in return tendered big contributions to their political sponsors."

Keisling's conclusion is that the Turnpike Commission should be abolished, adding that doing so would "send a clear signal to other complacent state agencies: We are serious about change."

Reflecting that right-thinking sentiment, state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, is sponsoring legislation to eliminate the Turnpike Commission. Her plan would place the turnpike under PennDOT control and management.

Whatever complaints are heard about PennDOT, they pale in comparison to the evidence of corruption, incompetence and patronage at the Turnpike Commission.

There should be serious debate over Rendell's proposal to lease the turnpike to a foreign investor to help pay for infrastructure investment. But regardless of whether the turnpike is leased to an investment company or simply managed by an outside firm, it is clear that the toll road should be severed from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission — and the commission eliminated.

For years, patronage jobs have provided easy money to friends, relatives and political supporters of powerful state lawmakers from both parties. But for citizens to continue to accept this ongoing abuse of the public trust as unavoidable government corruption is wrong — and just what the powerful party leaders hope will happen.

They were surprised at the voter anger over the pay raise and voted to repeal it in an attempt to keep their jobs. The same public voice should demand the elimination of the Turnpike Commission.

As the public learns about the pros and cons of a leasing deal or hiring outside management, the corruption within the Turnpike Commission will trigger outrage in voters, just as unvouchered expenses did in the aftermath of the pay-raise vote.

Sadly, there are many targets for reform in Harrisburg. Few can dispute that the Turnpike Commission is one of the places to start to clean up Pennsylvania.