Paris Achen and Nick Budnick
EO Media Capital Bureau
The head of the Oregon Transportation Commission has asked Gov. Kate Brown to personally engage in beefed-up oversight of the Department of Transportation.
In a strongly worded missive on formal letterhead sent Jan. 10, OTC Chairwoman Tammy Baney requested quarterly meetings with Brown as well as an independent staff person to carry out commissioners’ requests for information and research. Baney also wants an “active” role in ODOT Director Matt Garrett’s performance review, now under jurisdiction of the governor.
Specifically, Baney wants to increase the commission’s oversight of the budget, participation in project selection, tracking of funds within the department and development of policy from the beginning stages.
“This is essential to ensure that the director is fulfilling our expectations as well as yours,” Baney wrote, adding, “To effectively carry out the commission’s statutory responsibilities and your policy direction, it is imperative that we more closely coordinate our efforts directly with you.”
Baney, in an interview, said she intended no criticism of Director Garrett or ODOT staff. The all-volunteer, five-member commission she heads is appointed the governor. On paper, state law gives it broad powers to run the department.
But several observers say the letter speaks volumes about tensions and potential flaws in ODOT oversight, even as the department prepares for a massive influx of funding for road and bridge projects if the Legislature approves a package of increased fees and taxes.
Catherine Mater, who held Baney’s position until 2015, said the request for an independent staffer indicates “a complete disintegration of trust” between ODOT and the commission tasked with overseeing it.”
David Bragdon, former president of greater Portland’s Metro regional government, has closely watched ODOT for years. The letter “reads like a vote of no confidence in (ODOT) management,” said Bragdon, who is executive director of Transit Center, Inc, a nonprofit.
“This is a pretty darn amazing letter,” said Jim Moore, a Pacfiic University government professor who leads the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation. The fact that it was put on official letterhead suggests it was meant “for a wider audience and that the letter was intended to put pressure on the governor,” he said.
Brown wrote a noncommittal response Jan. 13. She did not comment on Baney’s specific requests but expressed appreciation for the commission’s role.
“Your involvement and continued communication with my office is key to the active and critical role OTC plays in the efforts to create a robust transportation system,” Brown wrote.