HARRISBURG — The vice chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has resigned after admitting that he was twice convicted of drunken driving during his tenure following accidents in state vehicles that he was operating.
In a letter to Gov. Ed Rendell dated Monday and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, Timothy Carson said he was convicted of driving under the influence in 2003 and 2006.
Carson, who previously worked as a public finance lawyer, said both accidents occurred while he was driving a turnpike commission vehicle.
He said he paid for the vehicle repairs out of his own pocket but failed to report the accidents to the commission.
Nobody was hurt in the accidents, he said in the letter, which did not provide any other details.
His letter does not explain why he waited four years to resign, nor did he respond to a reporter’s request for an explanation.
Carson said he has an alcohol dependency problem and that he has been in treatment since the second conviction.
“This program has enabled me to abstain completely from all alcoholic beverages since the 2006 incident,” he said in the letter. “I do not take my current sobriety for granted; in fact, I work on meeting my dependency challenge each and every day and will continue to do so.”
Rendell spokesman Gary Tuma confirmed that the governor’s office has received Carson’s letter.
Carson was originally appointed to the commission in 2000 by then-Gov. Tom Ridge. Rendell reappointed him in 2005 and 2009.
