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Wilson described Garrison as his "chief negotiator" during the contract process and someone who was involved in the day-to-day contract process while he continued his work at the agency's helm.

The two met when they both worked at the Los Angeles based engineering and construction firm DMJM.

Garrison touts more than 40 years of experience on the “management and administration of large, multi-disciplined programs,” as well as contract administration, according to Metro documents. He says he oversaw three light-rail extension projects in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the 1990s.

Garrison said Wilson approached him last year about the Metro job.

Wilson told him that he needed to beef up his staff, which lacked his expertise in seeing through an enormous rail contract, Garrison said. He said Wilson asked him to he serve as a “back stop” in the meantime.

Wilson told Texas Watchdog that Garrison was the right person to oversee the start up of the construction phase, given his experience on similar rail projects around the country. Garrison will also resolve disputes that may arise with business owners and residents during construction.

Frank Michel, a spokesman for Mayor Bill White, said Metro officials said Garrison provided “specific and important set of skills” that made an impact on the contract negotiation.

“He was never intended to be kept full-time,” Michel said. “They are moving into a different phase and bringing people in house to manage the project forward.”

When Metro’s board approved this year's extension of Garrison's contract, John Sedlak, Metro executive vice-president, explained that Garrison had been heavily involved in the negotiations with Parsons and was familiar with all aspects of the agreement.

Metro board member Jackie Freeman said Wilson had cut staff and brought in consultants more familiar with light-rail projects similar to Metro's in size. Freeman did not voice concern for the pace of the hiring.



Another consultant, Dhiren K. Chakraborty, was paid $74,500 for his work last year during negotiations to buy light-rail cars. Chakraborty did similar work for the Philadelphia and Miami transit agencies. The board approved a six-month extension at the same rate.

Metro's board of directors extended the contract Monday.

This is the third sole-source contract for Chakraborty at $107 per hour, a rate which "compares very favorably to the rates charged by other senior consultants with commensurate experience and skills," according to a Metro board document.

Garrison said workers with the expertise to handle the light-rail contract would be hired by the end of 2009.

But Wilson did not comment on that time frame.

Garrison remained steadfast in his defense of Wilson and his work on the Parsons contract, saying that he was “instrumental in getting it done,” with the help of others at Metro, including its legal team.

As for Wilson’s need to hire new staff, Garrison said, “It takes time to find people of that caliber. ... It’s not like hiring a laborer at Home Depot.”

Contact Rosanna Ruiz at 713-980-9777 or rosanna@texaswatchdog.org.


This investigative report by Texas Watchdog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.