Sounding like a Hollywood script in which the convict suddenly finds religion, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is now saying that it has found "good management" religion and will be more transparent and cost-conscious in the future.

Motivation for the turnpike commission promising change appears to be legislation introduced by state Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery County, that would eliminate the commission and shift control of toll roads to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The commission has for years been criticized for poor financial management and a bloated staff consisting of a web of nepotism where friends and relatives of state lawmakers and other well-connected people could find lucrative work.

More recently, the turnpike commission received unflattering attention during the corruption trial of former state Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia. Some testimony leading to Fumo's conviction revealed no-bid contracts at the turnpike commission as well as consulting contracts issued to friends of Fumo for which little or no work was done.

Former commission Chairman Mitchell Rubin is married to Fumo's co-defendant, Ruth Arnao, who ran a nonprofit agency that had close ties to Fumo. Arnao was convicted on more than 40 counts of misusing funds and assets of the nonprofit for the personal benefit of Fumo. The trial revealed that Rubin had received a $150,000 state contract, thanks to Fumo, for which he did little or no work.

Testimony also showed that Rubin was paid $220,000 by the commission for consulting work. But federal investigators said they could find no evidence that any work was done under that contract.

It has been reported that a state grand jury is looking into the commission's operation.

The commission now says it will be more open and competitive in awarding contracts for legal and financial work. In the past, those contracts routinely went to well-connected firms and individuals.

Under Vereb's plan, the turnpike's 2,000 union employees would be managed by a PennDOT deputy secretary of toll administration who would be required to have a civil engineering degree and a minimum of 10 years of experience in road construction and maintenance.

In 2008, when Gov. Ed Rendell and some state lawmakers were pushing a plan to toll Interstate 80 and place it under turnpike control, the Commonwealth Foundation released a report portraying the turnpike commission as a hotbed of patronage and cronyism. Matthew Brouillette, foundation president, argued for elimination of the commission, saying the commission should be put "out of the business of lining the pockets of politically connected and selected friends and family."

Packaged with the press release, the Commonwealth Foundation included a small poster featuring names and pictures of more than 45 people who were current or former turnpike commission members or employees. Under most of those names are descriptive phrases like "son of former state representative" or "brother-in-law of former commission member" or "daughter of former state senator" or "former girlfriend of former Senate pro tem."

As the Fumo case proved, playing fast and loose with other people's money is tempting. The turnpike commission has a history of doing just that, except that instead of the money being taxpayers', it is money from toll payers.

The timing of the commission's new attitude toward professionalism and competitive bidding comes at a time when public sentiment for dismantling the commission is strong, and Vereb's legislation has been introduced as House Bill 2134.

The turnpike's newfound religion should be seen as too little, too late. But even if the agency is not abolished, with responsibility for toll roads shifted to PennDOT, a grand jury investigation and public scrutiny should result in a thorough housecleaning and new rules for transparency and cost-efficiency.