The Illinois Tollway Authority is looking for someone to run the cafeteria at its Downers Grove headquarters.

A contract to run the building's cafeteria was initially awarded to a Chicago-based catering company, but officials killed the deal in June after learning that Taylor-Made Cuisine rents space from a tollway employee. And that employee, Andrew E. Lawrence, served on the tollway's cafeteria vendor selection committee.

The contract is now being re-bid.

Tollway Executive Director Jack Hartman said the conflict was an "honest mistake" and that Lawrence was not familiar with procurement laws.

Lawrence, who runs a catering company of his own, was suspended for three days without pay for the mistake.

Lawrence referred all calls on the matter to the tollway authority. He and his company, AEL Catering & Associates, have donated money and services to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his father-in-law, Chicago Alderman Dick Mell.

The biggest contribution Lawrence made was in August 2001 when he donated more than $36,000 in food services to Blagojevich's campaign for governor, state records show.

Hartman denied that Lawrence landed his $55,020 a year position because of his political support of the governor's campaign.