 |
|
Public Affairs coverage from our award-winning staff |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lawmakers Grill Metra Over Handling of Scandal
Produced by Alex Keefe on Wednesday, July 28, 2010
|
|
Metra executives faced tough questions from Illinois state lawmakers on Wednesday. The hearing aimed to get to the bottom of questionable financial practices at the commuter rail agency.
The hearing comes nearly three months after Metra's former executive director, Phil Pagano, committed suicide following revelations he'd misappropriated at least $475,000 from the agency by cashing in his vacation time, in violation of Metra policy.
David Hoffman, the former watchdog for the city of Chicago, says that could have been prevented by an independent inspector general, which Metra does not currently have.
HOFFMAN: The exorbitant benefits being received by Metra officials must have been obvious to others in Metra for some time, and would certainly have been obvious if an independent IG had been examining Metra's affairs consistently.
Metra Board Chair Carole Doris concedes the former executive director was given too much power.
DORIS: We had a robust organization chart ... We had an understanding of what the base salaries were. They simply were not observed [by Pagano.]
Doris defended Metra against criticism that it hasn't been transparent since the scandal broke.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|  | |
