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
No comments:
Post a Comment