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Wolf calls for investigation of Parking Authority in light of harassment scandal

Gov. Wolf called on Friday for an investigation of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, following the resignation this week of the authority's executive director over two sexual harassment scandals.

Gov. Wolf called on Friday for an investigation of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, following the resignation this week of the authority's executive director over two sexual harassment scandals.

In a letter to Attorney General Bruce Beemer, Wolf said the authority was "uniquely opaque" and "remains largely self-policed."

"In light of the serious allegations of misconduct and poor oversight, I believe it would be appropriate for a thorough examination of the financial dealings and practices of the authority to be conducted as soon as possible," he wrote.

Wolf said in his letter that state law gives the attorney general authority to examine the books, accounts, and records of the Parking Authority.

Jeffrey A. Johnson, Beemer's spokesman, said the office had received Wolf's letter and was reviewing it.

The governor's involvement followed a similar call by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale that there be a full performance and financial audit of the authority, either by the attorney general or the Auditor General's Office.

State law gives the power to investigate the agency to only the Attorney General's Office. The auditor general could conduct an audit if the PPA invited one or if the Attorney General's Office deputized DePasquale's office to do the work. DePasquale said he had been in communication with the Attorney General's Office about a collaboration.

The calls for an investigation came in the wake of the resignation of Executive Director Vincent J. Fenerty Jr., following the revelation that he had been the subject of two complaints of sexual harassment in less than a decade.

Mayor Kenney on Friday also called for a performance audit, saying it would help determine if Fenerty's case was a sign of a wider problem at the authority.

"An audit isn't just pluses and minuses and balance sheets," Kenney said. "It's the operation itself, and what the philosophy of the operation is and what it stands for and what it expects from its employees."

City Council, however, did not join the chorus. A resolution asking the city controller to audit the PPA failed to get enough votes for passage.

On Friday, Kenney chastised the authority for saying that board members had forgotten about the first sexual harassment complaint against Fenerty, made in 2006.

"That's a big thing to forget," he said. "I mean, I have trouble remembering what I did last week. However, when you have a proposed settlement of $150,000, when it's investigated, it's reported to the board, I mean, you have a responsibility to remember those things."

Kenney was referring to the authority's contradictory explanations as to what its board knew of Fenerty's record when a subordinate accused him of harassment in 2014.

In defending their decision not to dismiss Fenerty as a result of the 2014 complaint, board members said they had never been told of the 2006 accusation or the $150,000 proposed settlement.

On Thursday, a spokesman said the board had been notified in 2006 of the first complaint, but had forgotten about it by 2014.

Councilman Al Taubenberger, who has been on the board since 2001, has stood by his position that he was never told of the 2006 complaint.

Republican ward leader and attorney Michael Cibik, who was on the board from 2002 to 2010, said Friday he also had no memory of the board's being told in 2006.

"Looks like amnesia," Cibik said of the claim that the board forgot. "It's 10 years, but I just don't remember that. I stand by it, and I think that would be something that I would remember."

Cibik said issues of the executive director's being accused of sexual harassment never came before the board.

"This would be the only one," he said. "If it happened, it would stand out."

cvargas@phillynews.com

215-854-5520 @InqCVargas

Staff writer Chris Brennan contributed to this article.