The best policy: A lifetime keeping fuel vendors honest

Previously in this space, City & State has interviewed a prominent figure or celebrity who relates to New York politics. This week, we’re trying something new: highlighting those who have avoided the limelight – who have worked day in and day out to ensure our city and state run smoothly.

After 30 years of keeping fuel vendors honest, John Browne retired in December from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs’ petroleum products squad. City & State’s Jeff Coltin spoke with him just before his retirement about pumping gas, catching bad guys and being threatened out in the field.

C&S: What work do you do for the good people of New York City?

JB: By enforcing the state’s quality control program, we make sure that exactly what that pump is listed as selling is what you’re getting. And by using specialized equipment that we bring on to the station, we’re making sure that the quantity that you’re supposed to get is what you’re getting. Because when you roll into a gas station, you’re taking a leap of faith that the nice man who’s operating that station is going to give you what you’re paying for. Well we make sure it’s not that far of a jump.

C&S: Do you check every pump at a gas station? Or is there one specific pump that’s inspected?

JB: Every single device that is dispensing petroleum products is inspected by my men. We do every station at least once during the calendar year. And we return to a station if they’ve done repair work after we’ve inspected the pumps, making sure the repair work was done properly. We will also return to a station if a consumer files a complaint against a station. Currently there are eight men on the team, including myself, and a little over 800 gas stations in the city.

C&S: What did you do before working with petroleum?

JB: My first assignment with the city was on package patrol. There was a unit that would go out and make sure that the pre-packaged items that were in supermarkets and stores were actually the weight that was marked on the packaging.

C&S: Gas prices are lower than they have been in years. Does that affect the job at all? Are people less appreciative of the job you’re doing when prices are low?

JB: For the most part, people are unaware of the job that we do, since more often than not, when you roll into a gasoline station you’re not going to find either myself or one of my inspectors there. So for the most part, people have no idea what we’re doing.

C&S: You were involved in the recent investigation over heating oil fraud that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is bringing to court. What was your role there?

JB: We came down and assisted in showing the Business Integrity Commission and the district attorney exactly how these systems worked. So we came down with a 200 gallon prover at one location we were actually diverting the product right there on the spot so they could see exactly how the system was working and what the operator was doing to steal.

C&S: Was your office heavily involved after Superstorm Sandy when the gas pumps weren’t working? Was that a difficult time?

JB: It wasn’t particularly difficult. We were involved making sure there wasn’t price gouging taking place. And we were answering consumer complaints regarding that type of activity going on – stations that refused to sell to certain people, stations that were price gouging and whatnot. So during Sandy, our main concern was to make sure that wasn’t going on.

C&S: Before you worked for DCA you actually studied to be an audiologist. What made you leave the field?

JB: There are really great toys in audiology. The different pieces of equipment that you get to use and what have you, I was fascinated with. And then it became a little … well, I didn’t care for working in the clinical setting. They charged per test, and I thought, if you could deliver it all in one shot, why would you charge for each individual one? In the private sector, I’m not much of an entrepreneur, because I would try and sell people what they truly needed instead of what the business was looking to push.

C&S: Have any gas station owners not wanted to be inspected?

JB: Oh yeah, we’ve had that. There’s this station on Flatbush Avenue owned by a nice gentleman who was very upset with what was going on, and I was doing this inspection on this station and I was training another inspector. There were a couple of violations and we were dealing with those things, and the vendor got upset about the whole thing. He said at the time, “I wouldn’t mind paying the $2,500 to take you out!” Now that really scared the inspector I was with, but I just looked at the vendor and said, “don’t you think that’s a little extreme for a dinner and a movie?” He laughed and said, “you know what, do what you gotta do,” and he walked away.