Allegheny County councilman lambastes Port Authority over wages
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Allegheny County Councilman Matt Drozd yesterday called for the resignation of Port Authority board members and the revamping of the transit agency itself in the wake of stories published yesterday that he said revealed "out of control expenditures."
A story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette showed that a total of 58 rank-and-file employees grossed more than $70,000 last year and five top administrators are being paid salaries that exceed $125,000 a year. The top operator at the Port Authority grossed $90,762 in wages in 2005 -- $41,725 of it in overtime -- according to financial information released by the authority.
Calling the expenditures "exorbitant," Mr. Drozd, a Republican from Ross, added that it may be necessary to disband the authority and formulate a new one. He said he will begin tomorrow to explore options available to council.
Port Authority Chief Executive Steve Bland said last night that he was disappointed that Mr. Drozd, unlike other council members, had not taken him up on his standing offer to meet one-on-one any time they have a concern.
"Fundamentally, you have to understand our business before you make a judgment call about expenditures or the way the system is managed. So far, Matt has chosen not to do that," Mr. Bland said.
The transit agency provided news organizations with 2005 wages for union employees, and a list of 2006 pay rates and salaries for all 3,058 full-time personnel, after previously refusing to reveal the information. The figures were not significantly different than in 2003, the last year for which they were made available.
First Published October 15, 2006 12:00 am
