A federal inspector general is expected to release a report in coming weeks that may call into question the ethics of the board overseeing the construction of the $6 billion Dulles Rail project.
At least four board Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority members have ties to companies that do business with the authority, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Examiner.
Board members’ potential conflicts of interest are being examined just as federal, state and local officials gather Wednesday for a meeting with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in hopes of keeping the Dulles Rail project from collapsing.
The inspector general’s probe follows months of criticism of the airports authority by local officials, who called the board “dysfunctional” because of its secretive meetings, lack of responsiveness to local concerns and unwavering support of union labor that officials claim violates the spirit of Virginia’s right-to-work law.
“I’ve never served on a board that was as dysfunctional and fractionalized as this board was, and I’ve been on a lot of boards,” said David Speck, a former state delegate from Alexandria who served on the airports authority board until 2010. “I think there were probably a number of relationships that were not direct that could potentially be a factor in how decisions were made.”
Board members with potential conflicts of interest include Dennis Martire, vice president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, The union represents some of the workers building the first phase of Metro’s Silver Line to Washington Dulles International Airport. Martire supports the airports board’s pro-union stance but excused himself on recent votes concerning a labor agreement that encouraged the use of union labor.
Authority member Warner Session, a D.C. lawyer, advises companies that do business with the authority, including Smarte Carte Inc. and Aviation Business Partners, according to his financial disclosure forms. It’s unclear how much Session earns from those companies. The authority’s disclosure forms require only whether they earn more or less than $10,000 from any one company. Session reported earning more than $10,000 from a company that does business with the authority. Session chairs the authority’s business administration committee, which frequently approves contracts issued on behalf of the authority.
Two other key authority members — Board Chairman Michael Curto and Finance Committee Chairman Frank Conner — work for law firms that advise or represent the airports authority, financial disclosure documents show.
None of the authority members returned phone calls seeking comment on their potential conflicts of interest.
Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., called for the inspector general’s investigation into the airports authority following repeated conflicts between the authority and the local and state officials responsible for helping to pay for the Dulles Rail project.
