Advocate: ‘He’s punching too many clocks’
Watchdog slams ‘disregard for taxpayers’ in case of man who had two state jobs
A double-dipper who simultaneously worked for MassDOT and the MBTA was a six-figure earner for years without any bosses thinking about taxpayers who paid those salaries, a fiscal watchdog said.
“Where is the outrage? This is such disregard for taxpayers,” said Greg Sullivan of the Pioneer Institute. “It’s hard to accept that this could happen in a modern government.”
The state’s Comptroller’s office said they would need more time to drill down on exactly how much pay Carl Breneus of Boston earned at both the T and Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
A MassDOT spokeswoman told the Herald late Thursday night that Breneus resigned May 18 after MassDOT “conducted an investigation” into his dual full-time state gigs.
Payroll data from the Comptroller’s Office lists Breneus as a “fulltime” employee at the MBTA as a “repairer” at $81,952 annual base pay.
He also earned a paycheck at MassDOT this year as a “full-time” janitor with a base pay listed at $52,347. He was originally a toll taker on the Mass Pike and then transitioned, as many did, to his new job.
If he remained at both jobs, his base pay this year would have topped $134,600.
Breneus confirmed he “used to be a toll collector” but now “only” works at the MBTA. He told the Herald he would call back, but has yet to follow up.
Herald payroll records, part of the annual “Your Tax Dollars at Work” report, show Breneus earned a combined paycheck of $128,642 in 2020 and $100,069 in 2019. In both years he clocked thousands in overtime at both jobs.
MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the transit agency became aware of his double-dipping but didn’t see it as a problem.
“After the MBTA learned — earlier this year — that this employee had a second job, T management performed a review of his work shifts,” Pesaturo said.
“Employees in the Maintenance of Way division must use handscanning devices to clock in and clock out. T management determined that this individual was working the hours for which he was paid, and his supervisors said he fulfilled his job duties,” Pesaturo added.
“The T can’t say this is all OK, he’s punching the clock,” said Sullivan, a former state inspector general. “He’s punching too many clocks. Where are the checks and balances? How could he work overtime?
“This would never happen in the private sector, but nobody cares in the state because they’re not paying the bills,” Sullivan added, “the anonymous taxpayers are.”
While Breneus remains at the MBTA, he does not qualify for a pension — yet.