In what can only be called a renegade coup, the Shreveport Airport Authority (SAA) Board of Directors has hired an interim director.
Board Vice Chair Oliver Jenkins introduced Stephanie Tucker to the Shreveport City Council on Tuesday, June 8.
Wade Davis, the former director, resigned for “personal reasons” on May 28, which necessitated the selection of an interim airport director.
In a cavalier statement, Jenkins incorrectly advised the council that an interim appointment could be made without council approval.
Evidently, Jenkins, a former council member, did not bother to read Shreveport ordinance Sec. 18-32, which states, “The authority shall nominate a director of airports for appointment by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council.”
No distinction is made between an “interim” versus a “permanent” director.
According to Jenkins, the SAA board met during the week of June 1 and appointed Jenkins and Jonathan Reynolds to hire an interim director.
No public notice of this meeting was posted on the SAA website.
On the airport website, the last notice of a board meeting was for one on May 20. The agenda for this meeting
The agenda for this meeting did not have any line item dealing with the airport director or the selection of an interim in the event of a vacancy in that position. The minutes of the meeting
The minutes of the meeting have not been approved by the board and, thus, are not posted on the SAA website.
The Louisiana Open Meetings Law requires public notice of any meeting of the SAA board or any committees of the board.
The Shreveport airport board has a history of violating the Open Meetings Law.
The airport board does not have any bylaws or rules of procedure. This may explain the board’s Wild West, no-holds-barred approach to conducting its business.
SAA spokesman Mark Crawford advised he had no knowledge of when the SAA board authorized any members to select Tucker.
The hiring of Tucker repeats a pattern of board conduct that was the subject of a complaint to the Louisiana Attorney General (AG).
In January the AG office advised that the SAA had committed to take the following actions:
1. Greater legal oversight of the processes and procedures for publishing all agendas, notices and minutes of the SAA Board;
2. Adoption of standard rules of procedure governing all meetings and proceedings of the SAA Board:
3. Providing updated training for all necessary personnel on the operation and use of technology used to publish meeting agendas and notices; and,
4. Placing a date and time stamp within the body of any posted item to eliminate the appearance of discrepancies due to potential anomalies or errors within the agenda posting platform.
Obviously, the SAA has failed to comply with its commitment to the AG.
The SAA Board members are Mary Jackson (chair), Oliver Jenkins (vice chair), Waynette Ballengee, Jonathan Reynolds and Kay Medlin.
When on the council, Jenkins was a notorious stickler for full compliance with rules of procedure and city ordinances. Obviously, he has abandoned his almost anal attention to following the rules and regulations to a “t.”
New board member Kay Medlin touted her professional experience as an attorney when appointed this year to the SAA board. Evidently, Medlin has not reviewed the Open Meetings Law or the airport authority ordinances.
The recent hiring of Tucker raises many questions.
If the full board did not meet in a publicized meeting to appoint a selection committee, then is the employment by the SAA legal?
Are the board members liable, individually and collectively, for failure to comply with the Louisiana Open Meetings Law?
The SAA Board has been the source of controversy for many years, and many believe these actions, plus past history, reflects an attitude of arrogance and anonymity.
It’s time for the Federal Aviation Administration, the Shreveport city auditor and the Shreveport City Council to review the actions/ inaction of the SAA, its board and its employees and thereafter take appropriate action.