Will Tim Kaine Publicly Call on His Disgraced MWAA Appointee to Resign?

As Governor, Tim Kaine appointed labor union official Dennis Martire to the Board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, following his handover of the Dulles Rail project to the federal authority.  

Governor Bob McDonnell has formally removed Martire from his position, but Martire - known for his $10,000 taxpayer-funded junket to Sardinia and $9,0000 taxpayer-funded airline ticket to Prague - is fighting his removal in court at the expense of taxpayers.

As reported today in The Patch, Tim Kaine has yet to address calls to ask Dennis Martire to resign. 

"Tim Kaine is trying to wash his hands of the mismanagement of the Dulles rail project and that of his scandal-plagued appointee, Dennis Martire," said Delegate Tim Hugo. "In 2006, Governor Kaine transferred Virginia's Dulles Toll Road, valued at $3.52 billion, to MWAA, with Virginia receiving nothing in return. The Commonwealth deserves leaders who will make decisions in the best interest of Virginians and who will stay accountable to the people. It is time for Governor Kaine to own his decisions and that begins with asking his appointee, Martire, to resign."

Background:

Martire's Lavish Spending Included Trip To Sardinia That Served No Purpose To Board

"Mr. Martire, An Official With The Laborers' International Union Of North America Who Has Served On The Airports Authority Board Since 2009, Has Treated The Authority As A Sort Of High-End Travel Agency."  (Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)

"Few If Any Of Them Have Splurged So Extravagantly As Dennis L. Martire, Who Single-Handedly Spent More Than $38,000 Attending Five Conferences In 2010 And 2011, According To The Agency's Records."(Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)

"In May Last Year, For Instance, He Took A Nine-Day Trip To Attend A 36-Hour Conference On The Italian Island Of Sardinia, Best Known As The Mediterranean Haunt Of Supermodels And Russian Billionaires."  (Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)

"Mr. Martire's Ostensible Purpose In Sardinia Was To Take Part In A Forum, At A Luxurious Seaside Resort, That Was Sponsored By The Airports Council International, An Industry Group."  (Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)

"However, The Forum's Focus - Small Regional Airports In Europe - Was A Tangential Topic For U.S. Airports, To Put It Mildly."  (Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)

"On Returning From His Sardinian Adventure, Mr. Martire Filed An Expense Claim For $10,586, Most Of It For A Business-Class Air Ticket."  (Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)

$9,200 Taxpayer Funded Trip To Prague

"Previously Undisclosed Receipts Reveal New Details About Meals And Travel Expenses By Directors Of The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Including The Names Of Board Members Cited In A Recent Report By The U.S. Transportation Department."  (Dana Hedgpeth, "Expensive Meal And Wine Receipts From Airports Authority," The Washington Post, 5/26/12)

"In One Case, The Inspector General Raised Concerns About An Airline Ticket To Prague, Costing About $9,200, That A Board Member Booked Barely A Week Before The Trip."  (Dana Hedgpeth, "Expensive Meal And Wine Receipts From Airports Authority," The Washington Post, 5/26/12)

"Receipts Show Dennis Martire, An MWAA Board Member, Took The Prague Trip In October 2010."  (Dana Hedgpeth, "Expensive Meal And Wine Receipts From Airports Authority," The Washington Post, 5/26/12)

"Lobster Tails, Lamb, Veal, Crab Cakes And Seared Foie Gras"

"The Inspector General Also Criticized The MWAA Board For Not Having 'Suggested Limits Or Thresholds' For Food And Flights Related To Business."  (Dana Hedgpeth, "Expensive Meal And Wine Receipts From Airports Authority," The Washington Post, 5/26/12)

"It Cited Meal Expenses For Some Board Members And Their Guests At A Conference In Hawaii As A Concern, Where It Found That Dinners On Three Separate Days Totaled About $4,800."  (Dana Hedgpeth, "Expensive Meal And Wine Receipts From Airports Authority," The Washington Post, 5/26/12)

"Receipts Show The Meals Included Lobster Tails, Lamb, Veal, Crab Cakes And Seared Foie Gras."  (Dana Hedgpeth, "Expensive Meal And Wine Receipts From Airports Authority," The Washington Post, 5/26/12)

"An Explanation Of The Expenses Shows Those Who Attended Some Or All Of The Hawaii Dinners Included . . . Current Board Members Martire, Bob Brown And Michael O'Reilly And A Current MWAA Manager, Leslie Berkowitz."  (Dana Hedgpeth, "Expensive Meal And Wine Receipts From Airports Authority," The Washington Post, 5/26/12)

Martire's "Travel Constitutes A Particularly Glaring Abuse" And Such Actions "Subverts The Board's Standing"

"Nonetheless, Mr. Martire's Travel Constitutes A Particularly Glaring Abuse And Is Regarded As Such By Some Of His Fellow Board Members."  (Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)

"Any Whiff Of Profligacy Or Ethical Fudging - And There's Been More Than A Whiff - Subverts The Board's Standing At A Critical Juncture Of The Construction Of The Silver Line, One Of The Nation's Biggest Infrastructure Ventures."  (Editorial, "Airport Authority Junkets Cast Shadow Over Silver Line Project," The Washington Post, 5/31/12)