For area lawmakers, the discussions in 2007 about a multimillion-dollar state contract to manage ITD road projects centered on how to save the state money.

Those same discussions about the state’s Connecting Idaho Partners contract — made with URS Washington Group and CH2M Hill — are now mentioned in a lawsuit filed by former Idaho Transportation Depart-ment director Pamela Lowe against ITD.

Lowe alleges she was fired by the Transportation Department board after refusing to bow to threats by governor’s aides that she not interfere with a contract originally worth $50 million that benefited URS and CH2M Hill, which were hired as program managers for ITD’s Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle bond program. The lawsuit points out that the two companies and their staff and families were major campaign contributors to Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

In the complaint, Lowe says Jeff Malmen, the governor’s former chief of staff, and Darrell Manning, chairman of the Idaho Transportation Board, grew upset after she told the state Legislature in 2007 she would renegotiate the contract so as much of the work as possible was done by the state agency’s own employees.

Rep. Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, said there were concerns about the state contract’s size.

“It was huge,” said Smith, a member of the House Transportation and Defense Committee. “It was millions and millions of dollars. ... We were quite surprised at the charges that ITD was getting hit with and voiced our concerns in committee meetings.”

Lowe’s efforts included having ITD engineers handle some of the contracts’ work to cut down expenses, Smith said.

“We applauded those efforts,” Smith said.

Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, remembers there were concerns about the contract’s size, noting that projects used with bond dollars require repayment with interest.

“I think all along we thought that perhaps more could be done in house and more dollars would be put on the road,” said Bell, co-chairwoman of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

In an interview with the Times-News, Lowe said she agreed with Smith’s assessment.

“My perspective from the legislative branch was: ‘We want you to cut that contract back,’” Lowe said.

In the lawsuit, Lowe says she was asked to resign on May 11 and that Manning “intimated that there was some unhappiness with her political relationships.” The board later voted to fire Lowe in July.

The lawsuit also says that board member Gary Blick stated that “no little girl would be able to run this department,” or words to that effect, when the board considered appointing Lowe as ITD’s first female director. Lowe was appointed director in December 2006; her career with ITD began in 1993.

Blick and Manning didn’t return a call for comment on Monday. Blick has been on ITD’s board representing the Magic Valley region since 1999.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reporter Ben Botkin may be reached at bbotkin@magicvalley.com or 208-735-3238.