One victim, Adam Rawlins, said that between Augusts 2016 and December 2016, he had been subject to numerous pranks by other employees while he was working at PBOT. An internal investigation of the agency later yielded a pattern of "workplace harassment, intimidation, discrimination, dishonesty, retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation and physical violence". After learning of hazing, city officials transferred the "ring leader" and terminated one of the whistleblowers. The report obtained by the paper which was based on interviews with nine employees characterized the workplace culture at PBOT maintenance shop as a place of "violence, hazing and bigotry inside a shop that prizes loyalty and punishes "snitching." The investigation was focused around a longtime city employee Jerry Munson who was the crew leader for the "liner crew" maintenance branch. In May 2017, Willamette Week first reported PBOT's maintenance leader had subjected subordinates to various forms of hazing, such as shooting BBs and popcorn kernels at them. PBOT bucket truck at SE 11th and SE Hawthorne Blvd 2016 hazing incident They concluded that "several of our complaint investigations found structural unfairness within transportation programs, requiring reform." Sidewalk and vehicle towing concerns represented the greatest number of complaints made with the ombudsman's office about PBOT in 2001. The City Auditor ombudsman's office which takes in complaints from the general public concerning city bureaus reported in its 2018 annual report that they routinely receive the most complaints about PBOT. Maintenance Operations (Construction and Operations, Environmental System and Street Systems).Engineering and Technical Services (Civil Design, Bridges and Structures, Survey, Construction Inspection and Pavement, and Signals and Street Lights).Business Services (Finance and Accounting, Asset Management, Business Technology, Employee Services, Administrative Services).System Management (Parking Enforcement, Parking Operations, Parking Garages, Active Transportation, Traffic District Operations, Traffic Design and Regulatory Operations).Īccording to the most recent budget, the Bureau is led by the Office of the Director, which directly oversees communication and six division managers as follows:
Interim director Chris Warner replaced Leah Treat in July 2018 after Treat's resignation. She replaced Interim Director Toby Widmer, who had been appointed following the resignation of former Director Tom Miller. Novick appointed Leah Treat director in July 2013 following a nationwide search. In June 2013 Mayor Charlie Hales appointed Steve Novick commissioner in charge.
The commissioner in charge appoints a director, who leads the Bureau in its day-to-day business. The mayor assigns a city commissioner to be commissioner in charge of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.