WASHINGTON (AP) — Top federal and state officials who oversee the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority say the agency must implement reforms immediately.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray said in a letter to the board this month that the agency has lost the public’s trust and is “in desperate need of reform.”
Officials say they’re concerned the authority “conducts much of its business behind closed doors” and “awards many of its contracts on a sole-source basis.”
The authority’s president and chief executive, and board chairman, say they have begun to institute changes and are committed to restoring public trust.
The agency oversees Reagan National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport and is building a multibillion-dollar Metrorail extension to Dulles.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
