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A statement from state Rep. Scott Dianda saying Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle is unfit to lead the agency.
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Rep. Dianda Says Steudle Unfit to Lead MDOT
Resolution receives bipartisan support
LANSING – State Representative Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) today
introduced a House resolution today outlining recent issues, an auditor general’s
report and other problems in the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
that he believes proves that MDOT Director Kirk Steudle is a poor steward of the
taxpayers’ dollars and is unfit to lead the department. Dianda’s resolution has
both Republican and Democratic cosponsors
The resolution points to the issue of the 23 railcars the department leased
for a future rail service between Ann Arbor and Howell that have sat idle since
2010 at a cost to taxpayers of $1.1 million annually for rent. They have cost MDOT
nearly $12 million in total charges since 2010 in refurbishing, leasing and other
charges, and won’t be used for several years. The department spent $9.5 million
in federal and state money on landscaping along a stretch of Interstate 696 that
has since seen plant die-off due to erosion. Now the department is spending $2.3
million for mulch and another $620,000 to replant.
“The railcar fiasco is an example of poor timing between securing the cars
and completing the project, and the landscaping is a lack of foresight and poor
planning. How Director Stuedle could have allowed this to happen in both
instances is incomprehensible. He’s the director and he should be spending MDOT
funds on road projects wisely,” said Dianda. “We’re talking about giving MDOT
and this director billions of dollars to maintain and fix our roads, and yet he hasn’t
shown that he can be a good steward of the funding he currently has.”
Dianda also pointed to a 2015 Michigan Auditor General’s report that cited
MDOT for not following up on road warranties and holding road contractors
responsible for their work. More than half of expired warranties needed
corrective action, potentially shifting repair costs to the state instead of the
contractors. Similar issues were raised in a 2010 auditor’s report, which Steudle
and the department failed to address.
Issues have also been raised concerning Steudle’s sensitivity to staff issues.
MDOT’s Equal Employment Opportunity Officer has accused the director of
diverting work from her office and showing a lack of leadership on equal rights
and workplace discrimination.
“I have no confidence in Director Steudle because he has failed to show
leadership and sensitivity to his staff, and frankly, I think he has mismanaged
scarce state funds in the face of our current road funding deficit,” said Dianda.
“Kirk Steudle is, I believe, unfit to lead MDOT and I have no confidence that he
will show good sense and money management with future money that would go
to the department once a roads plan is approved and signed into law.”
Steudle has served as MDOT director under two governor’s since 2006.
MDOT employs more than 2500 people and has a budget of more than $3 billion.