HOUSTON—The president and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority was accused in open court Wednesday of having an improper relationship with a female employee who works for him. That alleged relationship may include taxpayer-funded trips to Spain, additional compensation and benefits, and other items the public paid for with tax dollars, according to the attorney for former Houston Controller Lloyd Kelley.
Attorney Michael West, who represents Kelley, told Judge Al Bennett he has information which leads him to believe Metro President Frank Wilson had substantial motivation to keep specific documents or e-mails from coming out.
That alleged motivation? "Mr. Wilson's personal relationship with his executive assistant," West said. "The reason that is important is not simply because it's a salacious story but because that provides motivation on why we believe Mr. Wilson is hiding documents. That he's hiding information, that he has spent public money to further his personal relationship with his executive assistant."
West goes further in allegations of wrongdoing as it relates to the relationship.
"From the documentation I've received Mr. Wilson has given...fringe benefits, financial benefits that are called into question given their personal relationship," he said.
One of those alleged benefits? A document KHOU obtain dated in August of 2009 shows Metro recently promising to give that female staffer nine months pay in the event she's asked to leave. It's signed by Frank Wilson himself. However, it's not the only thing being questioned now. Attorney West claims the two have also taken trips together on the public dime.
After the court hearing, KHOU approached Wilson for comment but he remained silent as we asked about the allegations, which were originally made during the court hearing as attorney West described that staffer as Wilson's "girlfriend."
"This matter is under consideration by the court, as his honor has indicated, and we're not going to comment beyond that," he said.
Wilson's "lucrative" contract
But taxpayers may also be interested, in what else we dug up: Wilson's current employment contract with metro. Besides paying him more than $300-thousand dollars a year it also gives him other perks, like a membership at the exclusive Houston Club, and more than $1,000 a month for a car.
Every year- Wilson also gets five weeks vacation along with another two weeks sick time. That translates into more than $41 thousand in yearly benefits he gets to keep if he doesn't use, according to the contract.
And if Metro terminates his contract early, without cause, before it ends in April of 2012? You the taxpayer get to pay two more years of that salary, at a cost of more than $600,000 to you. In addition, you get to pay to move him and his family to anywhere in the United States. What's more? He immediately qualifies for a retirement pension, and if that's not enough, Wilso will also receive a $40,000 a year payment for the rest of his life life beginning once he reaches retirment age.
Barry Goodman, a transportation consultant who used to serve in Frank Wilson's position as the head of Metro, calls Wilson's contract both "lucrative' and "liberal."
"When I left Metro, my recollection is that I received a six month personal service (consultant) contract and that was all," he said.
If fired "for cause", many of the above benefits would not be given to Wilson. The definition of "for cause," according to his contract, is willful malfeasance, gross negligence or the conviction of a felony crime or any crime involving moral turpitude.
As for the allegations of an affair- Metro released a statement saying the attorney who made them has shown no proof yet that would back those allegations up. Metro also calls Lloyd Kelley's other allegations related to the destruction of documents related specifically to his request "without merit".
