In the News

Waukegan News Sun, May 22, 2010

Amid calls for greater oversight following the fraud scandal and subsequent death of Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano, the agency is planning policy moves next week.

Metra Board member Jim LaBelle of Zion, Lake County's representative on the board, said Friday that two committees will be created next week and additional action will be taken with regard to the board's appointment of an acting inspector general.

"We're taking this as a call to action. We're determined to make sure this doesn't happen again," LaBelle said. "We know we have a lot of work to do."

State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, publicly took the agency to task this week in an open letter to Metra Board Chairman Carole Doris. Garrett called on the board to hire an independent auditing firm to review all expenditures connected with the executive director's office.

"I believe this is critical, given the fact that Metra has admitted to almost a half a million dollars in questionable expenditures related to this office," Garrett wrote.

Garrett also asked Doris to review Senate Bill 3118, which would require the establishment of an inspector general as a permanent position at Metra. She said that given Metra's size and number of employees, "having an inspector general in place is critical to ensuring that business is done above board and without corrupt influences."

LaBelle noted that the board already has appointed an acting inspector general and that further action on that position would be taken next Wednesday, but he said the additional action would not include making the position permanent.

Two new committees will be formalized as well -- the Financial Practices Reporting and Review Committee and an Executive Committee, which would begin the process of searching for a new executive director.

Pagano killed himself by stepping in front of a Metra train May 7, the day the Metra board was expected to hear the results of an investigation into his activities.

The investigation found that since 1999, Pagano had taken at least $475,000 in unauthorized vacation pay.