Aug. 27: Federal official steps down over Pitt hire

The unidentified staffer left the Homeland Security Department after an investigation began into how the fired MnDOT official got a $90,000-a-year job at the agency.

By TONY KENNEDY, Star Tribune

Last update: November 7, 2008 - 11:08 AM

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An official at the Department of Homeland Security who missed red flags in the background of Sonia Pitt left the agency after an investigation began into Pitt's hiring, a federal official said Tuesday.

The mistake in hiring Pitt was a case of human error, not an impropriety, said Ellen Howe, a department spokeswoman.

Pitt accepted a job at the department's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in May, five months after she was fired from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. As an emergency management director at MnDOT, Pitt caused a scandal after failing to return for 10 days from an unauthorized, state-paid trip to Washington after the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis.

State investigators found that Pitt misspent $26,400 in state funds as a high-ranking MnDOT manager, including inappropriate charges for airfare, hotels, mileage and personal cell phone calls.

An arbitrator upheld her firing on May 15. The TSA hired Pitt on May 25.

When the Star Tribune published a story July 31 about Pitt's newfound federal employment, the TSA fired her within 24 hours. Kip Hawley, the top administrator at the TSA, said Pitt should never have been hired.

Pitt, a 44-year-old former resident of Red Wing, was making $90,000 a year as a "Transportation Security Specialist'' at TSA headquarters in Alexandria, Va. Her probationary status as a new employee allowed for the quick dismissal, the federal agency said.

Howe said that if the person who hired Pitt at the TSA "had not left, disciplinary action would likely have been appropriate.''

Privacy laws prevent the TSA from naming the worker who erred in the vetting of Pitt, Howe said. Pitt worked in the Transportation Sector Network Management division, headed by John Sammon.

Howe said one of the "enhancements'' to Homeland Security's due diligence routine will be to check with a job applicant's recent previous employers even if they are not listed among references.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Tuesday that she's still not satisfied and has requested a detailed written report from the department. "While they have acknowledged that there was inadequate background work ... I still remained troubled by this incident,'' she said.

Pitt disclosed on a preemployment form that she had been "terminated'' from MnDOT, Howe said, but the reason given did not disqualify her from consideration. Privacy laws prevent releasing details of Pitt's explanation, she added.

Howe said the internal investigation is complete and found no improprieties. The position was publicly advertised in February, drawing 34 applicants. Pitt and seven others were deemed "best candidates," Howe said. "There was no cheating."

She said copies of the investigative report are not being released to the public.

Tony Kennedy • 612-673-4213

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