The Idaho Transportation Board held a special meeting this morning for a closed-door executive session on "personnel issues," but when they emerged, they took no action. "The board had an executive session on personnel," said spokesman Jeff Stratten. "I do not sit in on those meetings."

State Transportation Director Pam Lowe did not attend the executive session, Stratten said. The only other thing on the board's agenda was "old/new business." "None was brought up, and they adjourned," Stratten said. The closed-door meeting lasted about 40 minutes.

The department has been in the political crosshairs all year as Gov. Butch Otter unsuccessfully pushed his transportation funding initiative in this year's legislative session. At one point during the session, Senate Transportation Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, introduced legislation to allow the governor to fire the transportation director, rather than leaving that decision to the board, but that legislation didn't pass.

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