A Metro board member is himself a consultant for one of the consulting firms hired by the transit agency.
Mortimer Downey, a federal appointee, joined the Metro board in January 2010, nine months before a six-year contract began with Parsons Brinckerhoff. The current $11.9 million contract is one of the agency’s biggest consulting contracts, according to Metro records provided under a public records request.
Downey was formerly a principal consultant for the megafirm and chairman of its now defunct PB Consult division. Today, he’s a contractor for the large contracting firm.
He told The Washington Examiner that he resigned as an employee of the firm and sold his shares in it before joining Metro. He doesn’t work on transit-related projects, focusing instead projects such as California high-speed rail or studies of ports.
He also said he abstained from voting on Metro’s contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff, which provides management oversight for the major capital projects under way.
“I reviewed it with counsel and others and nothing I am doing for them involves Metro and I don’t involve myself in what they’re doing,” Downey said. “I think I’ve covered this reasonably well.”
He said he supports Metro in hiring such consultants and contractors, saying that Metro needs to get the work done and consulting contracts can help. He said it may or may not be cheaper, depending on the quantity and quality of the work.
“In my experience in management, at the end of the day, you get what you pay for,” Downey said. – Kytja Weir
