Government workers paid big on leaving Metro

Several employees who followed City Administrator Dan Tangherlini from Metro to the D.C. government made six-figure salaries during their short tenures at the transit agency, were eligible for thousands of dollars in paid-out vacation time and received significant raises after switching jobs.

Mr. Tangherlini left Metro in November and officially began working in the Fenty administration Jan. 2.

His employees at Metro included Emeka C. Moneme, who was recently named director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).

Mr. Moneme began working as Mr. Tangherlini’s chief of staff — an executive management position at Metro — on Feb. 16 at an annual salary of $135,000.

After being appointed to lead DDOT by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in December, Mr. Moneme officially left his Metro position Jan. 2. According to Metro’s vacation policy, executive management employees receive 27 annual leave days every Jan. 1.

That policy means Mr. Moneme was eligible to receive a nearly $10,000 payout for vacation time.

Metro officials said the agency could not confirm whether Mr. Moneme was paid that amount, citing employee privacy rules. DDOT spokesman Erik Linden also said DDOT officials could not comment on Metro personnel matters.

At DDOT, Mr. Moneme will make $145,000 — 13 percent more than his predecessor, former DDOT director Michelle Pourciau, who made $128,000.

In a November interview with The Washington Times, Mr. Fenty said he planned to streamline city government in part by not increasing the salaries of agency heads.

Another former Metro employee who works in city government is Tony Dorsey, a former television journalist who worked in the new position of director of public affairs at the agency.

Mr. Dorsey began working at Metro on July 5 for an annual salary of $130,000.

He left Jan. 19 to work as a supervisor in the public affairs office of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department at a salary of $102,000 — a pay cut but about $17,000 more than his fire department predecessor made in a comparable position.

Mr. Dorsey’s position at Metro also qualified him for 27 days of annual leave. He was eligible for a vacation payout of more than $9,600.

Mr. Dorsey did not return a call or e-mail seeking comment. He began work with the fire department on Jan. 22.

Mr. Tangherlini acknowledged in a previous interview with The Times that “an awful lot” of Mr. Fenty’s Cabinet appointments “have some professional or other relationship to me, to the mayor, to other senior appointments.”

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