OLYMPIA — Gov. Christine Gregoire’s request for simply a review and report from the Department of Transportation isn’t enough for two North Olympic Peninsula state legislators.
State Rep. Jim Buck, R-Joyce, said Monday he “absolutely” will renew his call for a performance audit of DOT by the state Transportation Performance Audit Board.
“Chris (the governor) is asking a good question,” he said, ” but it’s only one question
“There are numerous other questions that are not being answered here. For instance, what was DOT’s expectations of being able to finish the project?
“How did we get $59 million down the track without knowing the problem?
“How did DOT get into a situation like this without asking for assistance from the local jurisdictions and the legislature?
“What’s the legality of the agency simply walking away from a signed document?”
Audit welcomed
State Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald said he would welcome a performance audit.
Meantime, Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, who met with Gregoire over the graving yard issue last week, said Gregoire’s letter “isn’t as strong language as she used with me Friday.”
“She was very animated with me about that issue,” said Kessler, who as House majority leader is the No. 2 Democrat in the lower house and has the ear of the new governor, also a Democrat.
“She does intend to find out what in the world what went wrong,” Kessler said.
Kessler said a report sought by Gregoire on early archeological testing of the Port Angeles site must be more substantive than MacDonald’s assurances that the DOT’s archeological consultant — Larson Anthropological and Archaeological Services, Ltd., of Gig Harbor — was a respected firm.
“I don’t think he’s going to get away with what he said to me,” Kessler said, “which was, ‘We had a very reputable firm; they are very highly regarded.”‘
Audit board makeup
The Transportation Performance Audit Board, which Buck wants to review spending on the ill-fated graving yard project, was formed by the Legislature in 2003 uses reviews and audits to help it understand how the state’s transportation agencies are spending taxpayers’ funds, according to a state legislative Web site.
The board is comprised of 11 members: five citizens appointed by the governor with private sector expertise in transportation-related disciplines; one at-large member appointed by the governor; two legislators from the House Transportation Committee and two from the Senate Transportation Committee; and the legislative auditor, who serves in an ex-officio capacity.
