Trimess

Friday, March 29, 2013

Jeers to trimet management

Jeers: To sneaky raises for top TriMet managers. For months the Portland transit agency has lamented its financial woes. Already burdened by a bloated pension system, TriMet is running a $12 million deficit, has cut bus service five times in four years, and recently saddled riders with the biggest fare increase in its history, according to The Oregonian.
So it's no wonder that top executive Neil McFarlane tried to keep the raises, which totaled $910,000, under wraps. In fact, he even bragged he'd frozen the pay of nonunion workers. The reality? One executive, already earning $166,000, got a $14,000 raise. A light-rail program manager got a nearly 18 percent pay boost. The public relations person on the embattled Portland-Milwaukie light-rail line got an 8.24 percent increase, bringing her pay to $118,000. McFarlane later told The Oregonian: "We didn't do a very good job" with transparency on the matter. No kidding. TriMet's board would do well to hold McFarlane accountable for these shenanigans.

In Our View: Cheers & Jeers | The Columbian

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