Note: Layoff notices were sent to all employees November 1, 2016. Just weeks after the below happened.
By: Diane Benjamin
I recently received a FOIA request from Connect Transit for these three items:
It turns out the list of spending approved by the Board in the packet for July was incorrect. Evidently the Board never questioned $14,501.01 being listed as travel two months in a row.
Another reader FOIA’d some actual credit card statements. More on that in a minute.
Guess what $2,618.88 to Sodexo is?
They threw themselves a party!
In 2015 the operating loss was $9,939,281.30 – – and they WON system of the year!
Um, what does that say about all the other systems?
PDF page 7: http://www.connect-transit.com/documents/July%2026,%202016%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20Binder1.pdf
Back to travel . . .
See the Credit Card statements here – I don’t suggest looking on a full stomach: visa-statements-10-15-to-10-16
I could pick out a number of items, but let’s look at the trip to San Fransisco and who went:
FIVE EMPLOYEES!
David White:
Melissa Chrisman:
Jennifer Clark:
Issac Thorne:
Andrew Johnson:
It only cost taxpayers a little over $7,700!
Why did FIVE employees have to go?
Did you see the Crab House for $474.00?
Anybody think the State of Illinois should pay them?
Anybody think the Board should all resign?
In case you forgot who is on the Board: http://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/default.asp
You are an amazing woman, my friend! Thank you for being an investigative journalist.
Carol
Way to go Diane! Great work exposing this.
Melissa and Andrew have a rather large hotel bill in relation to the others. Given the local impropriety for reporting travel expenses, I wonder if there was room service involved.
Somebody could FOIA the actual bills! 🙂
Can’t be TRUE, it wasn’t in the PANTAGRAPH! Nearly $500 for CRAB! why they could have bought the WHOLE darn boat almost!
Drinks add up quickly.
FOIA?