NEW YORK (WPIX)—
A New York senate task force wants answers about "shockingly wasteful" spending in a state department run by the MTA's new cost-cutting czar.PIX 11 news reporter Greg Mocker has learned that the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency will grill officials of the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) at a hearing in the first week of August.
The task force is seeking information about millions of dollars in wasteful spending and poor cost containment at OMRDD, which ranks 3rd in overtime among all state agencies with nearly $70 million in fiscal year 2009-2010.
Senators will not, however, get a chance to question the woman in charge of OMRDD.
That's because Commissioner Diane Jones Ritter is starting July 19 as managing director of the MTA, in charge of cost-cutting, day-to-day operations at headquarters, corporate affairs, government relations, procurement, real estate, human resources policy and pensions, capital programs, planning, sustainability and environmental compliance, and information technology.
The MTA is paying Jones Ritter $217,000 – a hefty boost from her current salary of $136,000.
Mocker started digging for information after MTA Chairman Jay Walder announced his hiring of Jones Ritter in a press release buried on the MTA website.
"Diana Jones Ritter is exactly the type of seasoned government professional who can help the MTA attack our cost structure and operate more efficiently," Walder said in the release. "Diana has a stellar track record at all levels of government and will hit the ground running overseeing this vital effort. Â… Diana will be critical to our ability to cut costs and provide value to taxpayers and riders."
Mocker quickly discovered there was plenty the MTA didn't say.
Most glaring was a June 2010 investigation by the New York Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency. Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester), chairman of the Task Force on Government Efficiency, said of his findings: "Massive, unregulated overtime is plaguing our state coffers and will continue to bleed our state dry if we don't get it under control."
Klein told Mocker he holds Jones Ritter responsible for the runaway overtime – "she's the boss," he said – and he's surprised the MTA hired hire her to cut costs.
Also of concern to the Task Force on Government Efficiency was "a shockingly wasteful history at OMRDD with regard to purchasing properties for use as group homes." One example cited: When the OMRDD wanted a new group home in Westchester County, it bought a mini-mansion for $845,000. That was 63 percent over the average price of homes in the area. The house came with a pool and a hot tub – which Ritter's office filled in with concrete.
Another eye-opening report came from New York's State Inspector General. It found "apparent nepotism and undue influence in employment practices at the OMRDD New York City Office's Fiscal Unit. In response to the investigation, Jones Ritter "noted that the Inspector General's findings highlight the need for clear guidance from OMRDD to its employees regarding nepotism."
In response to a flurry of questions from Mocker about Jones Ritter, the MTA issued this four-sentence statement:
"Diana Jones Ritter was selected for the job after an extensive internal and external search. An exhaustive check of her background and references reaffirmed her excellent credentials and track record. Governor Paterson played no role in her hiring, nor did the activities of her husband. We are very confident that she is more than qualified."
That may not be the last word. Over the weekend, Mocker learned Jones Ritter may have told a different story about her hiring in a June 30 videoconference. Mocker has filed a Freedom of Information request with OMRDD to see the video from himself.
GREG WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU. HE RETURNS EVERY EMAIL, AND EVERYTHING IS CONFIDENTIAL: mocker@wpix.com mocker@wpix.com
