(The following article by Jonathan Hunley was posted on the Free Lance-Star website on December 9.)
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The chief operating officer of the Virginia Railway Express has been placed on paid administrative leave while complaints against him are being examined, the agency’s attorney said yesterday.
The VRE board received concerns about “management-related issues” in connection with Pete Sklannik Jr., said lawyer Steve MacIsaac.
Board members contracted with a management consulting group to investigate the complaints. MacIsaac would not disclose the name of the firm hired.
And, figuring it would be hard to look into the matter with Sklannik in the office, the board put him on leave Wednesday, MacIsaac said.
“It’s not a punitive action at all,” said MacIsaac, who led the commuter-rail line on an interim basis before Sklannik was hired in July 2000.
Sklannik has not been accused of anything, he said, and VRE officials are unsure how long the investigation will take.
Sklannik confirmed that the board is looking into the matter but said he could not comment. He came to the VRE from the commuter railroad in Long Island, N.Y.
Dale Zehner, VRE’s assistant chief operating officer, will lead the agency in Sklannik’s absence.
MacIsaac said the board wanted to respond to the allegations, which he said came from “a number of different sources” and cover a “spectrum” of issues.
But the board doesn’t mean to impugn Sklannik’s character or integrity, he said.
“There’s no basis for that,” said MacIsaac, who is Arlington’s county attorney.
This latest controversy comes at a time when VRE appears to be successful. It now carries some 14,000 passengers a day to Washington from lines originating in Fredericksburg and Manassas.
Riders surveyed last fall gave the commuter service an 89 percent overall approval rating. They emphasized that staff members were courteous, helpful and responsive.