Speaking of the Rail-to-Dulles project, it’s nice to see that I’m not alone in focusing on the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) that would require the prime contractor of Phase 2 to hire a union workforce, or the role of Dennis Martire, vice president of the Laborers’ International Union of America (LiUNA) in shepherding the requirement through the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).
Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax, wonders if Martire violated the MWAA board of directors’ code of ethics by voting on a resolution that would likely benefit his labor union, reports the Reston Patch. Hugo has asked Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to investigate whether his vote violated the code.
Reporter Dan Telvock also interviewed Judy Nadler, a senior fellow in government ethics at Santa Clara University. She did not opine on whether Martire’s vote constituted a conflict of interest, but she did say that “a reasonable person” could argue that it was. “The perception of impropriety is as damaging as an actual impropriety.”
