Gov. Joe Manchin pledged during the early days of his administration to gain control over state government. He's been a man of his word.

Perhaps his best use of executive power has been grabbing the reins of the West Virginia Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority. The agency, charged with managing the West Virginia Turnpike, historically has been only marginally answerable for its actions. Its hubris finally caught up with it in January 2006, when it blithely increased passenger car tolls on the turnpike from $1.25 per toll booth to $2. Tolls for large trucks increased to $7. A citizens' lawsuit, however, helped put the brakes on the hefty increase -- the first in 25 years -- even though turnpike expenses and revenues are out of kilter.

Parkways Authority members say they have followed the direction of the state's chief executive, and those have included economic development and tourism-related projects. Now Manchin wants to move in a different direction. That's good.

Going forward, here are some thoughts and questions regarding the turnpike:

• Manchin wants the Parkways Authority to move away from running Tamarack and other non-transportation duties and focus on managing the highway. He's on the right track. The authority built Tamarack in the 1990s as a showcase and sales outlet for West Virginia arts and crafts. Frankly, Tamarack's entire business plan deserves scrutiny and, most likely, restructuring.
• The West Virginia Turnpike was not supposed to be a toll road in perpetuity. Southern West Virginia residents and businesses pay an unfair tax for the privilege of having the federal Interstate highway serve their communities. The state's ultimate goal should be removing the tolls - something that was promised decades ago.
• Could the Division of Highways eventually take on maintenance of the turnpike? Over time, that seems to be a possibility. It may not happen right away, but it should happen.
• What real estate does the Parkways Authority own? Could it sell prime real estate that today is used for maintenance and fold those operations into existing Division of Highways facilities?

Manchin is not pushing for an immediate merger of Parkways operations into DOH. State officials obviously must be responsible in handling the Parkways Authority's debt. But West Virginia state government now has an opportunity to develop a long-term plan to bring greater accountability and efficiency to the authority and eliminate the tolls from the turnpike. We hope that occurs in our lifetime.