Three MnDOT managers discplined over Pitt case

State officials have disciplined three Transportation Department managers for lax oversight of an emergency manager who stayed out of state after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.

All three were responsible for supervising Sonia Morphew Pitt, the emergency manager who was fired last month after an internal investigation found that she committed serious misconduct.

The Minnesota Department of Employee Relations suspended division director Rick Arnebeck for three days for failing to monitor Pitt's out-of-state travel and inadequate reviews of her expenses. Arnebeck was Pitt's direct supervisor from January 2006 to April 2007.

Maintenance and Security Director Steve Lund received a written reprimand for failing to monitor Pitt's expenses adequately.

Department of Employee Relations Commissioner Patricia Anderson says the actions should serve as a warning to all management level employees for the state.

"This is a lot of money that Sonia Pitt received in expenses and paid days when they should have been vacation days, it was up to her direct supersivors to property supervise her and that was not done in this matter."

"This is a lot of money that Sonia Pitt received in expenses and paid days when they should have been vacation days, it was up to her direct supersivors to property supervise her and that was not done in this matter," Anderson says.

A third manager, Bob Winter, was reprimanded verbally.

Sonia Pitt has said she wants her MnDOT job back, and Employee Relations Commissioner Anderson says her agency is in charge of reviewing that request.

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