July 11, 2013 (CHICAGO) -- Powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan said Thursday he asked senior staff at Metra to consider a pay raise for an associate who was employed at the commuter rail agency, but withdrew the recommendation after Metra's then-CEO expressed discomfort over it.
Madigan addressed the matter in a one-page statement he prepared for a House committee investigating a costly severance deal for Metra's former CEO Alex Clifford, who resigned last month. Clifford has alleged he was pushed out for resisting political pressure in decisions about hiring and contracts.
The link to Madigan, one of Illinois' most powerful politicians, was an unexpected turn in hearings that are unearthing details of Clifford's eye-popping severance package, under which he could reap up to $718,000.
In Thursday's statement, Madigan said that in March 2012, he weighed in on a proposed salary increase for Patrick Ward, who worked as a labor relations specialist at Metra. Madigan said he has worked with Ward for more than 15 years on "a variety of projects," but did not go into detail on their relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment