Yesterday, in response to a request from the Lewiston Morning Tribune, which has been editorializing against Gov. Butch Otter's silence on the firing of former Transportation Director Pam Lowe and her wrongful-termination lawsuit against the state, Otter issued the following statement:

"I support the decision of the board to remove the former director and go in another direction. The issue over the past legislative session became Pam and ITD, instead of fixing ailing roads and bridges and addressing the backlog of projects to keep Idaho’s roads safe. Over the course of three years Pam never once raised concerns about the contract with me. In the end, despite her claims, Pam was ineffective and lost the faith and confidence of the board, my office and many in the legislature. Our highways and bridges are critical to Idaho. Now more than ever, we need a leader at ITD who can work with the legislature and board to successfully address our infrastructure needs today and into the future."

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