Councilmembers Jim Waring, Michael Nowakowski, and DiCiccio have called for an investigation by Attorney General Mark Brnovich into the dealings of Steve Banta and Valley Metro.
“If the common person on the street got caught stealing a television they aren’t given $235,000 to just walk away. It’s not fair to taxpayers that their hard working monies are given to a person accused of stealing, cheating and fraud to be allowed to just resign. Some things are worth going to court for, and this is one of them.” said Councilman Sal DiCiccio.
In their letter the Councilmembers wrote, “the nature of the allegations warrants a thorough investigation from your office,” despite an audit on the agency’s finances already underway.
According to the Arizona Republic, Valley Metro reportedly paid nearly $19,000 for a trip to Oregon to for Glendale city officials to visit Portland’s light-rail system. The two-day trip expenses included a $4,695 dinner.
This year, Banta flew first class on 8 trips he took on behalf of Valley Metro, according to the Arizona Republic.
”A $200,000 gift to a transit official who was accused of stealing and committing fraud is outrageous. This is a criminal act that needs to be investigated by an entity that prosecutes criminal activity,” said DiCiccio. “We do not want the taxpayers to be on the hook for the transit official’s acts and the city’s payout. This also sends a message about credibility for the City of Phoenix. You cannot be handing people accused of theft more money. This problem should not be whitewashed or buried.
“I am glad the city asked for an independent audit, and we are taking the next step by asking the Arizona Attorney General’s office to investigate,” continued DiCiccio. “The big issue is the city’s credibility regarding the transit official’s behavior and what the city’s response communicates to our taxpayers. People at the top get taken care of and paid off when they are accused of wrongdoing, while people at the bottom pay the penalty.”
Banta’s recent behavior appears to be erratic. In November, after the Arizona Republic began looking into his spending, he resigned his $264,493 per year position. Last week, he has asked to rescind his resignation, saying he was pressured to quit last week by Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton’s office, according to the Arizona Republic.