BUFFALO, N.Y. — In his post at the Buffalo Sewer Authority, where he makes $130,000 per year, CEO and general manager Oluwole “O.J.” McFoy has spent 297 weekdays since 2016 traveling to 23 states and two foreign countries.
Next week, he and 10 other Sewer Authority employees will leave for a conference in New Orleans that is expected to cost taxpayers more than $27,000.
And without any discussion Wednesday, Sewer Authority board members who were appointed by Mayor Byron W. Brown not only defended McFoy’s travel schedule — they approved seven more out-of-town trips costing an additional $33,000 for McFoy and other employees of the sewer system.
Asked how he could justify such travel despite the city facing a $40 million budget deficit, McFoy said, “As you know — because I'm sure you've investigated this — the Buffalo Sewer Authority is a separate entity from the City of Buffalo. And what we've shown here is that the investment in making sure that we're visible really brings back all of the dollars into the authority.”
McFoy previously said the trips have helped the city pull in more than $250 million in grant funds in recent years and have earned awards from trade groups.
Board members Herbert Bellamy Jr., Christopher Roosevelt and Eleanor Petrucci unanimously approved trips for McFoy and other sewer employees to travel later this year to Philadelphia; Albany; Greenville, S.C.; Aurora, Colo.; Chattanooga, Tenn., Tucson, Ariz.; and Dallas, at a cost not to exceed $33,600, according to the Sewer Authority meeting agenda.
Brown spokesman Mike DeGeorge said, “The mayor has no say over this travel.”
2 On Your Side Investigative Reporter Charlie Specht asked Bellamy, the board chairman, “How can you justify spending all this money, taxpayer money, on travel, when the city is in dire financial straits?”
Bellamy responded, “Well, the city has one budget. The Buffalo Sewer Authority has another budget. So it's an entirely different budget.”
When 2 On Your Side pointed out that both budgets derive their funds from taxpayers, Bellamy said, “We look at it as an investment. We invest in those conferences and we have a great return. They saved us a whole lot of money.”
Sewer Authority meeting documents show that McFoy and Bellamy last year traveled to five conferences together, flying on taxpayer dime on separate trips to Sonoma, Sacramento, and San Diego, as well as Washington, D.C., and Louisville, Ky.
This year, taxpayers funded a trip for McFoy and Bellamy to Anaheim, Calif., for a conference of the American Water Works Association. The estimated cost for that round of trips was $38,900, public records show.
“If you want to look at the conferences you'll see that I've been to all of the conferences inside and gain the relationships and learning to ask the questions when I come back to the board, and how we can improve on technology and how we can improve with employees,” Bellamy said.