Tempers soar over Kelso airport pick
Wednesday, March 8, 2006 6:43 AM PST
By Amy M. E. Fischer
Printable version
E-mail this articleTempers flared in a packed Kelso City Hall on Tuesday as a polarized City Council argued about approving the Airport Board's recommendation to hire Longview businessman Dwight Irby as regional airport supervisor.
In the end, the council decided to interview Irby and a second job candidate, Battle Ground resident Denny Wise, at a special public meeting March 14 at 5:30 p.m.
The Kelso City Council had planned to vote on the five-year Airport Fixed Base Operator/Supervisor contract Feb. 21. But when the normally empty council chambers filled that night with supporters of Wise, the mayor announced the council vote would be postponed until the next council meeting.
Among other things, the $2,000-a-month job entails providing fuel, flight instruction and aircraft maintenance, groundskeeping, leasing hangars and complying with state and federal regulations.
In the days since Feb. 21, a tangle of rumors, allegations and innuendo have circulated. Councilmen on Tuesday said they had received multiple phone calls and e-mails questioning the fairness and legitimacy of the Airport Board's selection process, the candidates' fitness for duty, and whether Councilman Joe Wheeler's friendship with Irby posed a conflict of interest. (Kelso's city attorney said Tuesday it does not, and Wheeler, who also is chairman of the Airport Board, denied the friendship influenced any of his actions.)
But the controversy was enough to give several councilmen pause.
At Tuesday night's meeting, Wheeler made a motion to approve a contract with Irby. At that moment, Councilman John Karnofski interrupted and said he wanted the council to interview the two candidates before making a decision.
"I don't want to just be a rubber stamp on this," said Karnofski, the youngest and most recently elected member of the council.
Irby scored only three points higher than Wise on the 100-point scale with which the Airport Board evaluated their applications, Karnofski noted. With such a slim margin between the candidates, the council needs to take a closer look at their qualifications, he said.
That suggestion didn't fly with Wheeler, Mayor Don Gregory and Councilman Mark Chester, who vehemently argued that the Airport Board had carefully conducted its application and interview process and said it was unwise to toss out the board's recommendation. The selection committee was comprised of Longview Port Commissioner Dan Buell and Longview City Councilwoman Mary Jane Melink.
"I don't believe they made decisions that were partial in one way or another. I don't think we have anything to gain by bringing it directly in front of us," Chester said.
Councilman David Futcher said if he was going to vote on hiring someone, he wanted access to all the information the board had. When he asked a Kelso city employee for the complete application packets a week ago, he was rebuffed, he said.
As the discussion continued, Gregory became increasingly agitated.
"I have 100 percent solid faith in the Airport Board and their recommendation," he said. "If we didn't want to do it that way, we shouldn't put it out that way."
Finally, the council took action and voted 4 to 3 against approving a contract with Irby. Al Slater, Todd McDaniel, Futcher and Karnofski were the four "no" votes.
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