Shreddergate update: METRO has standards, you know!
ONE OF THE (MANY) DISTURBING ASPECTS OF SHREDDERGATE is how chatty METRO officials have been about the firing of Pauline Higgins, former chief counsel for the transit agency. They even released personnel documents purportedly showing what a terrible employee she was. Now, Texas Watchdog's Lee Ann O'Neal reports that one of METRO's reasons for dumping Ms. Higgins is that "she held meetings after-hours at the agency's offices for a charity golf tournament named in memory of her dead son."
Metro also accused Higgins in the report of giving Metro jobs to people who also helped out with the golf tournament. But one of the four people referenced told Texas Watchdog Tuesday that he's been doing legal work for Metro since well before Higgins arrived at the agency. Another one of the four was hired as a summer intern, not as a full-time permanent employee.
But, you see, this can't stand. The transit agency that employs Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson, and his close friends, has standards and policies, and Higgins violated them with her charity golf tournament.
That revelation led me to a bit of rummaging around METRO's website, and in their Outreach section, there is one M. Helen Cavazos, METRO VP of Human Resources and Diversity, who was recognized by the Dynamo as a 2009 Outstanding Hispanic Community Leader for "her continuous contribution and giving back to the community." Did Ms. Cavazos do ALL her continuous contributing and giving back after hours AND off-site? Ms. Higgins' problem, apparently, was having after-hours meetings at the Lee P. Brown Administrative Building.
Since METRO is a-okay with speaking at length about personnel issues, METRO should disclose how many other employees it has investigated (and fired!) for after-hours charitable work done at METRO HQ. We're most curious.
Except that now, METRO spokeswoman Raequel "9-volt" Roberts says, "We've said all that we're going to say as far as personnel issues." Smearing complete, mission accomplished.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/09/10 08:27 PM | Print | Comments (10)
Previous Entry | Home | Next Entry
ADVERTISING
DISCLAIMER
All content © 2004-09, blogHOUSTON and the respective authors.
blogHOUSTON.net is powered by Nucleus.
Site design and Nucleus customization are by Kevin Whited.