For more than five years,
a gubernatorial appointee has quietly
gotten paid more than $90,000 fr
work as a Texas transportation
commissioner without ever showing up.
Arlington businessman Victor Vandergriff
resigned his position in February 2018,
but the paychecks just kept com.
The Cave You defenders found
a long delay by the governor
to name his replacement,
and a provision in the state
constitution kept Vandergriff.
On the state payroll,
here's senior reporter Tony Plahetsky.
Again, I want to emphasize thate
Commission there is not a projet
that would be taken away from
Victor Vandergriff, sometimes called Mr.
Transportation for his work as a Texas
Department of Transportation commissioner
and considered one of the state's most
influential transportation officials.
He attended his last meeting int
governor appointed role, January 25th, 2018.
That does not take away from this project.
One week later, he made headlins
suddenly announcing his resignan
from the five member Commission
overseeing the state agency that plans,
builds and maintains Texas
roads and highways.
He said at the time,
It's just time to do something different.
It's just time for new blood.
But his departure from the posi?
Also came amid scandal.
Reporting by the Texas Tribune 3 weeks
earlier revealed Vandergrift bill Texas
taxpayers as a state transportan
commissioner while he was simultaneously
on private lobbying trips to Au.
Vandergrift returned some of the money to
the state after the story broke in June 2020,
the Arlington businessman got a new job
as the executive director of the Tarrant
Regional Transportation Coaliti,
which lobbies textile.
We reviewed Texas Transportation
Commission meeting minutes frome
past five years and could not fd
where Vandergriff attended a sie
meeting since his resignation.
And yet the KV defenders have uncovered
that the state of Texas kept paying him
a salary of more than $1300 a m,
plus up to $120.00 and longevity pay.
For a total of
$91,796 through March 1st, 2023.
Money Texas paid him for never showing up
to work but keeping his commissioner title.
Government watchdog groups like Public
Citizens say taxpayers deserve better. When
a state employee is paid by taxpayers,
it comes with the expectation tt
they're serving taxpayers and tt
they're serving the people of T.
During that time,
the Defenders learned that Vandergrift
also remain eligible for state.
Medical benefits and could add
years to state pension eligibil,
but the state won't say whether
his received those benefits,
citing confidentiality.
I think everybody understands tt
somebody who's not doing a job doesn't
deserve to be paid for that job.
The KV Defenders reached
out to Victor Vandergrift,
who first told us he would issue
a statement about these payment.
He then changed his mind and said he would
not comment because he saw no benefit.
But we've also tried to uncovery
these payments flowed from TxDOT
to Vandergrift in the 1st place.
The answer is embedded in
the Texas Constitution,
Intended to make sure state ages
always have leaders at the helm,
The Texas Department of
Transportation cited this provi,
saying all officers of this stae
shall continue to perform the
duties of their offices until tr
successors shall be duly qualif.
Text added that the commissioner
position belongs to Vandergrift
despite term expiration or even
stepping down from that role
until a replacement is seated.
The presumption is that when you
resign that you're going to stay
in the office and continue to sw
up and do the work that for whih
you've been appointed or electe,
Randy Urban, who teaches Texas
constitutional law at the
University of Texas, said.
Even though Vandergrift resigne,
he still technically holds the position.
And the job is still his until
his replacement takes over.
The way the Constitution sees is
that you can resign or your off,
Your term of office can expire,
but you're still you still hold all the
responsibilities and duties of the office,
and you hold all the benefits
and emoluments of the office.
But if you resigned,
it doesn't really matter, right?
Doesn't matter.
In late March, after The Cave
Defenders began asking question,
Governor Greg Abbott announced that he had
appointed a replacement for Vandergrift.
Five years and one month after s
resignation, Senate confirmation
on that successor is ongoing.
In a statement,
the governor's office said quote The Texas
Constitution provides that state officers,
such as the Tech Stock Commissis
Service holdovers until their
replacements are appointed and qualify
for office despite term expiratn
or stepping down from the roll.
The governor has directed the Ts
Department of Transportation to
update their compensation proces
to ensure their commissioners.
Are fulfilling their duties
to the people of Texas.
A spokesman did not respond
to our followup request,
including why it took five years
in a month for Abbott to appoint
Vandergriff's replacement.
But TxDOT said in a statement
quote As directed by the govern,
TxDOT leadership is reviewing
the department's procedures for
the payment of compensation to
commissioners and will continue
to ensure the payments are maden
compliance with applicable state law.
It doesn't matter that this posn
only had a salary of $16,000 a .
What matters is that we take our roles
seriously as government servant,
and that we don't take salaries
for jobs that we're not doing.
We're diving deeper into this s.
We're examining other appointments by
Governor Abbott's office to see if the
state is paying others for long periods,
even after they resigned or left their jobs,
While the Governor's office
waits to name their replacement.
We'll let you know what we lear.
For The Cave you defenders,
I'm Tony Plattsky, KV News.