<p>Governor Mitt Romney is reviving his campaign to dilute the powers of Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew Amorello, but this time Amorello's legislative allies are ready to make changes in light of the chairman's recent missteps.</p>
<p>Romney wants to overhaul the Turnpike Authority, reduce its functions, and diminish Amorello's clout. The governor's aides say he plans to include the reorganization in the budget proposal he will present to the House next month. The administration's proposal was designed to reap $190 million in one-time savings and to generate $23 million a year, offering badly needed revenue to leaders in the Legislature who are once again facing a major budget deficit. Lawmakers rebuffed a similar proposal from Romney earlier this year, but now Amorello has weathered a year of controversy that was capped off by Amorello's plans to throw a lavish party, with a Boston Pops performance, to celebrate the opening of the last significant section of the Big Dig. Amorello was forced to call off the event late last week, but some of his one-time allies at the highest levels of the legislative leadership are quietly distancing themselves from the Turnpike Authority chairman, who has a $205,000-a-year contract until his term expires in 2007.</p>