Anyone hoping to make sense out of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority's paying $107,500 to political hatchet man Doug Guetzloe didn't find many answers at the agency's meeting Wednesday.

Yes, authority Chairman Allan Keen admitted he proposed hiring Mr. Guetzloe. And, yes, authority members asked Orange County Comptroller Martha Haynie to audit the agency's finances and the way it conducts business.

But the issue of Mr. Keen's woeful leadership never came up. In fact, Mr. Keen's feeble attempt to defend his actions only further underscores why he needs to step aside so some measure of credibility can be restored to this agency that handles $500,000 in public money each day.

Mr. Keen admits he contacted Mr. Guetzloe and set up a meeting between Mr. Guetzloe and staff. But, amazingly, Mr. Keen says his responsibility ended there.

"I did not approve any specific payment" to Mr. Guetzloe's company, he said. "In fact, I never knew how much we were paying for their services." Mr. Keen says his job was to "propose, discuss and initiate contact" with Mr. Guetzloe.

That's nonsense. It's like putting a car in drive and walking away with no regard to where the car is heading or what it might hit.

This is not the kind of leadership the Expressway Authority needs.

Mr. Keen apologized for the "embarrassment and consternation" of paying Mr. Guetzloe. How about admitting this was a waste of money?

Mr. Keen needs to step aside as chairman. Now. It's been pointed out that he has only two monthly meetings left as chairman -- how much more damage could he do?

A lot, because apparently a lot can happen between authority meetings. Consider that the idea to hire Mr. Guetzloe didn't come up at an authority meeting, but at a private gathering at Houston's restaurant in Winter Park. No other authority members were consulted, and none was able to ask questions or to challenge the absurd amount paid.

There were no written standards of performance for Mr. Guetzloe, no benchmarks to measure his success. In the end, the authority paid about $180 a word for a two-page report.

At least Ms. Haynie will be digging into this mess. Authority Executive Director Mike Snyder said auditors will have free rein and can take as long as they need.

That's a big step toward credibility. Mr. Keen's resignation as chairman would be a giant leap.

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