ST. PAUL - Minnesota's former transportation emergency response manager, fired for allegedly misusing tax dollars and government resources, filed paperwork Wednesday seeking to return to work.
An attorney for Sonia Morphew Pitt of Red Wing, Minn., who remained on the East Coast for a week after the Aug. 1 Minneapolis bridge collapse, said Wednesday her termination last month from the Minnesota Department of Transportation was based on false allegations and that investigations into Pitt's actions ignored key facts. Pitt will appeal her firing and seek to be reinstated.
Pitt was fired after MnDOT officials claimed she committed "serious employee misconduct" by abusing travel and expense policies, not reimbursing the state for personal calls she made on a work-issued mobile phone and claiming work hours when she was on personal leave.
In a separate investigation report issued last week, the Minnesota legislative auditor expanded on the MnDOT analysis and reported that Pitt misused more than $26,000 in resources.
The investigations "are premised on incorrect findings, derived from misconstrued state policies and wholly ignored exculpatory evidence," according to a summary of the appeal from Pitt attorney John Fabian.
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MnDOT Commissioner and Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau said her agency's review "was conducted in a deliberate and thorough manner."
Concern about Pitt's activities came to a head soon after the Aug. 1 Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Pitt, who was on the East Coast for a work seminar when the Minneapolis bridge collapsed, extended her trip by traveling to Washington, D.C.
Pitt's appeal announcement says she immediately began coordinating state and federal aid and emergency responses when she learned of the bridge collapse. She then flew to Washington and worked out of the Federal Highway Administration building.
Her attorney's statement says she was responsible for creating emergency response plans, not commanding the response effort.
In his investigation of Pitt's actions from July 2005 to Sept. 11 of this year, when she was placed on a leave of absence before her termination, Legislative Auditor James Nobles found that she tallied more than $11,500 in unauthorized or inappropriate expenses. Also, Pitt charged the state for more than $14,500 for work time she should have recorded as personal leave, the audit showed.
In the appeal announcement, Pitt's attorney said the alleged improper expenses were based on inaccurate reviews of her mobile phone calls, meal and lodging expenses and other reimbursements. Informed of Pitt's plan to appeal, Gov. Tim Pawlenty replied: "Good luck."
"She's certainly entitled to her legal rights and appeal rights, but from my standpoint her termination was justified," said Pawlenty, who requested a separate review of how Pitt was supervised.
Pawlenty said allegations against Pitt "involve more than just her failure to return after the bridge collapse. They involve much more."
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Nobles turned his audit findings over to the state attorney general and Ramsey County attorney for their consideration of civil and criminal action.
State law allows Pitt to file an appeal within 30 days of her termination. If an arbitrator decides Pitt was wrongly fired, she could be reinstated to the position or given an equal job within MnDOT.
The appeal statement said neither Pitt nor her attorneys would discuss the issue further until after the appeal process.
MnDOT would not comment.
Wente reports for Forum Communications Co., which owns the Herald.
