The Ohio auditor is looking into a state lawmaker’s complaint about the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority and whether it violated the law by allowing employees to wear jeans to work in exchange for donations that funded the agency’s political activities.
State Rep. Derek Merrin (R., Monclova Township) wrote to Auditor Keith Faber asking the state to investigate the Citizens for TARTA political action committee and its contributions marked “Jeans Day.”
Mr. Merrin found that between 2013 and 2018, the PAC collected $4,775 from Jeans Day, which he contends is a legal and ethical violation for a public agency.
“Campaign finance reports suggest employees were provided the benefit of wearing jeans in exchange for making political contributions to ‘Citizens for TARTA,’” Mr. Merrin said.
“Government employees should not be solicited, pressured, or shamed into making political contributions in the workplace by their public employer. No government employee should have to wear certain clothing based on whether or not they make political contributions.”
Mr. Merrin said it’s his understanding that in exchange for being able to wear jeans on Fridays, employees were asked to pony up a few cents or dollars.
“You’re basically segregating the people who want to politically give and the people who don’t,” he said. “From my perspective, something doesn’t look right, and I’m calling on the proper authorities to investigate. There are questions that need to be asked.”
A spokesman for the auditor’s office said it is looking into the issue.
This isn’t the first time Mr. Merrin has referred TARTA to the state. In 2011, he lodged a complaint with then-auditor Dave Yost. The investigation found that TARTA illegally loaned its PAC $67,000 to help pass a transit levy.
Carly Allen, president of the union representing TARTA’s drivers and mechanics, said it wasn’t always made clear to employees where Jeans Day money went.
“Jeans Day has been going on for a long time,” she said. “It’s not publicized where the money is going to. However, if a person asks, they will be told it’s going to Citizens for TARTA.
“Whether people know what they’re doing, that’s what the money is for. There may be people who are unaware.”
Francis Frey, TARTA’s acting board president, said he was unaware of Jeans Day until Mr. Merrin’s letter, but was told the Jeans Day fund was discontinued and money collected was returned to employees, though he didn’t specify how or if the agency kept records of small-dollar contributions. The fund was used at different times for different purposes, he said.
“What I was told is that it’s one of these things where you put out a pot of money that says, “If you want to wear jeans on Friday, it’s a dollar,’” Mr. Frey said. “But I was also told there was no enforcement mechanism. You either put it in or you didn’t.”
The auditor’s focus on Jeans Day comes during a challenging week for TARTA. The board voted on Thursday to suspend without pay general manager James Gee after he was charged with drunken driving. On Monday, Charles Larkins, TARTA board president, died of a suspected heart attack.
“It’s layers on layers on layers, and I hope we’re able to recover from this because there’s still a lot of things going on that need to happen to transform our transit agency into a useful transportation system,” Ms. Allen said. “I hope that we haven’t buried ourselves to the point of no return.”
Staff writer Brooks Sutherland contributed reporting.
First Published July 26, 2019, 7:40 p.m.
