Gov. Jindal's transportation secretary resigns
by Robert Travis Scott - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Offering no reason for the sudden departure, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced in a press release today that Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary William Ankner has resigned. Department Deputy Secretary Sherri LeBas will fill the post as interim secretary. Jindal recruited Ankner because of his experience running highway agencies in other states. The governor's chief of staff Timmy Teepell said Ankner submitted a letter of resignation and it was accepted. Asked whether the administration was happy with Ankner's performance, Teepell would only say, "We are looking forward to Sherri being interim secretary." The department has come under fire from legislators recently because it awarded a design-build contract on an interstate highway project to a company that had submitted a bid at a higher price and with a longer work period than other competing bidders.