Arbitrator upholds firing of absent Minn. emergency manager
by The Associated Press
 
MINNEAPOLIS -- An arbitrator has upheld the state's firing of an emergency management official who was criticized for being absent in the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

Sonia Morphew Pitt was fired in November for what the state said was unprofessional conduct, including unauthorized expenses and travel. She appealed, arguing that the Minnesota Department of Transportation misconstrued its own policies.

The arbitrator wrote that Pitt was an experienced employee who ``abused the latitude'' she had as a manager.