Jack Schaffer Turns Up the Heat on Metra Majority

Jack Schaffer

Jack Schaffer

As the only Metra Board member to vote against the Alex Clifford golden parachute, Jack Schaffer is well positioned to focus on what he perceives to be problems caused by the current Board members.

He has sent the following letter to Metra Board Chairman Brad O’Halloran:

Mr. Brad O’Halloran, Chairman
METRA
547 West Jackson
Chicago, Illinois 60661

Dear Chairman O’Halloran:

The purpose of this letter is to ask for a full and honest accounting of all funds spent by METRA relating directly or indirectly to the severance package recently approved by the METRA Board (Board) for CEO Alex Clifford. This accounting should begin the first day of your chairmanship to the end of July. I would like this information in time for our August meeting.

It should specifically include, but not be limited to:

  1. all billings of Board counsel (Andy Green’s law firm), with an honest estimate of how much related to the Alex Clifford severance agreement;
  2. the actual cost of outside attorneys including Joe Galgliardo and his law firm
  3. Judge O’Brian, the mediator;
  4. the “former special prosecutor” who did an investigation (by the way, when is the board going to see a copy of that investigation?);
  5. the billing and estimate of outside press representatives, Gary Mack and Dennis Culloton, (it is my understanding that Mr.Culloton’s firm is being paid through Mr. Green’s law firm, who authorized that?);
  6. an accounting and costs that METRA legal has spent in this process;
  7. any other expenses that the Board has incurred, but not reported to them; and,
  8. an estimate of the amount of time and cost of any other METRA staff who have been drawn into this affair. This should include the time spent working with the Inspector General.

I believe the Board has been kept in the dark on these costs for too long and that the Board and the public have a right to know this information. Please do not run up any additional legal fees trying to figure out a way NOT to give me this information. The taxpayers have waited taxpayers long enough for this information and, the METRA Board has a right to this information.


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