Wed, Apr 21, 2004
CTA VP Fired For Driving Drunk Hired As First Deputy Aviation
Commissioner
A former Chicago Transit Authority vice president, who quit
under pressure after being charged with driving a CTA car while
drunk, was chosen Monday as the city's first deputy aviation
commissioner. His salary: $137,160 a year.
The city's new aviation commissioner, John Roberson, said he
knew about the 1998 drunk driving incident, but decided to overlook
it and make Patrick Haney the most important staffer on his
management team.
"I haven't asked about it. I didn't
get into it. People have to be judged on their professional
abilities and expertise. That's what I judged him on. I didn't
judge him on what happened before," Roberson told the Chicago
Sun-Times. "He's a good solid performer who knows the people,
understands the operation and can make sure we run the airport in a
businesslike manner. He's been dealing with the airlines and
working on capital projects here for years. I felt he was the best
person for the job."
Roberson said he didn't know if Haney would be issued a
government vehicle, as is the case with first deputies in the
past.
"I've made my expectations to him very clear. I've always been a
person who believes that, once you make your expectations clear to
people, the only thing you can do after that is hold people
accountable to those standards. That's what I would do with any
manager," he said.
Haney was dumped from his job as the CTA's chief of construction
and maintenance in 1998, after his city-issued car slammed into the
back of another vehicle. Two weeks later, he quit to avoid being
fired, saying he accepted responsibility for his "lapse in
judgement."
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