OneJet conflict
Airport authority members must not be investors
Service on a public board requires certain sacrifices. For those serving on the Allegheny County Airport Authority, that should mean refraining from business relationships with airlines or companies having contracts at Pittsburgh International Airport or the smaller county airport in West Mifflin.
As the Post-Gazette’s Mark Belko reported, two of the board’s nine members, Robert Lewis and Jan Rea, are investors in OneJet. That’s the airline the authority now is suing for accepting $1 million in incentives but providing fewer flights than promised. On Wednesday, the airline announced it is suspending all flights across its system while it completes an “operational transition.”
Jeffrey Letwin, the authority solicitor, said the two are in compliance with state and authority ethics policies and he sees nothing wrong with the investments as long as they recuse themselves from votes on OneJet. Asked about Mr. Lewis’ investment, which came to light before Ms. Rea’s, county Executive Rich Fitzerald also said he is OK with it.
But that kind of misguided thinking helps to explain Pennsylvania’s reputation for ethics-deficient government.
With two airports to run, a staff of about 450 to govern, an operating budget of $108 million to oversee and a billion-dollar modernization campaign at Pittsburgh International to monitor, the board has a full agenda requiring the input of all nine voices. Decisions about airlines serving the airport are especially important and shouldn’t be left to a subset of members because one or two decided to tweak their personal business portfolios.
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner called Wednesday for the resignation of Mr. Lewis and Ms. Rea, noting that it’s important for the authority to take a stand against self-dealing and payto-play at the start of the big-scale modernization excellent point.
Even if members abstain when they have a personal stake in an issue, they create a whiff of conflict. That’s a disservice to the people of Allegheny County, who deserve their undivided loyalty, and to other board members, who may find it more difficult to do the right thing when colleagues sitting next to them are less-than-neutral observers.
This scenario is typical in Pennsylvania. In Harrisburg, lawmakers regularly sit on committees, draft legislation and vote on bills benefiting industries or professions in which they or close relatives have a financial interest. When legislators cite a conflict, floor leaders regularly tell them to vote anyway.
To make matters worse, ethics reporting is a joke. Elected officials and members of certain boards, including the airport authority, must list sources of income in excess of $1,300 annually and identify businesses in which they have at least 5 percent of the equity or assets. The disclosure forms require no further details.
The Legislature should revise the ethics law to prevent public officials from investing in companies their agencies do business with. It also should devise a more transparent disclosure form and require agencies like the airport authority to compile a document each year that spells out the business interests of executives and board members so that the public can find the information in one place.
If the state won’t lead the way, local agencies should set an example and strive for a higher standard instead of trying to explain away ethical questions like Mr. Letwin and Mr. Fitzgerald have done. Members of an aviation board simply should not invest in airlines serving their airport. If they want to keep their stake in OneJet, Mr. Lewis and Ms. Rea should exit the board. project. That’s an