Thursday, December 03, 2015

Airport Manager's Tenure Marked by Controversy from the Start: Martha's Vineyard Airport (KMVY), Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

Sean Flynn became manager in 2005. 



It was a 10-year tenure that began and ended in controversy, with enough plot twists in the middle to fill a Victorian novel.

Sean Flynn, then acting manager, was named manager of the Martha’s Vineyard Airport in December 2005.

The appointment followed a nationwide search led by the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission with the assistance of the professional headhunting firm Bennet Yarger. The airport commission interviewed five candidates for the manager position, including Mr. Flynn. All had experience in managing small regional airports. In the end the professional search team recommended four of the five candidates for the job; Mr. Flynn was not among the recommended candidates.

Among other things — and unlike the other four candidates — he had not provided the search firm with proper releases to solicit comments from references. As a result, the search firm said it could not guarantee Mr. Flynn’s performance.

In the end the majority of the airport commission decided to appoint Mr. Flynn anyway, citing what they termed the Island factor: his Vineyard residency and familiarity with Island life.

According to information provided as part of the application process, Mr. Flynn graduated from Northeastern University in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice supervision and management.

He became a private pilot in 1991 and a commercial pilot in 1992. From 1991 to 2000 he worked as a manager at Island Transport, an Oak Bluffs bus company that was partly owned by his father. In 2000 he was named assistant manager at the airport. In May of 2005 he was named acting manager following the resignation of manager Bill Weibrecht. At the time a lawsuit brought by Mr. Flynn and Mr. Weibrecht against the Dukes county commission over a salary dispute was pending. Mr. Weibrecht had resigned his post because of the dispute.

Meanwhile the lawsuit that Mr. Flynn and Mr. Weibrecht had brought against the county hung over the two commissions like the sword of Damocles, amid a tangle of politics and legal maneuvers that were heated, complicated and costly on all sides. There were numerous disputes and skirmishes, but the central issue involved control of the airport. The county commission appoints the airport commission, but beyond that, confusion and disagreement reigned over how much autonomy the airport had. Along the way resignations, new appointments and accusations flew between the county commission, whose members are elected by voters at large, and the airport commission, whose members are appointed by the county commission.

In 2005, a superior court judge ruled that the airport had autonomy in managing its own affairs, save the fact that the county commission was the appointing authority for the airport commission. Treble damages were awarded, although a year later the monetary portion of the case was adjusted and damages were significantly reduced. In the end the intramural legal battle cost more than $600,000 in taxpayer money.

“We’re ready to go forward, finally,” said Norman Perry, a member of the airport commission at the time.

In December 2005 the airport commission voted 4-3 to appoint Mr. Flynn as permanent manager.

Seven years later the airport was in the spotlight again amid mounting problems. Mr. Flynn became embroiled in a tangled workplace dispute involving an employee. Beth Tessmer, who had worked in operations, filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination following discipline and dismissal by Mr. Flynn. The dispute remains unresolved.

In the summer of 2014 Mr. Flynn was involved in a domestic disturbance that resulted in police restraining orders between him and his wife. Following an executive session by the airport commission to discuss the matter, Mr. Flynn was granted an eight-week medical leave of absence. He later returned to the job.

Six months later, in February 2015, the airport commission renewed Mr. Flynn’s contract and gave him a 20 per cent raise. The new contract, with a starting annual salary of $138,800, ran for three years. It also contained terms that were more favorable to Mr. Flynn than under his previous contract in the event of termination or dismissal from his job.

Meanwhile, the county commission, concerned about emerging problems at the airport, made an unsuccessful effort to enlarge the size of the airport commission. After that tactic was thwarted by a judge, the commission successfully used its authority to replace three members of the airport commission. Mr. Flynn briefly blocked attempts by the newly-configured commission to hold meetings by refusing to post the meetings.

The controversy was soon ironed out and the appointments of the three new commissioners were confirmed, and Myron Garfinkle, one of the new appointees, took over as chairman of the commission.

In August Mr. Flynn took an unscheduled two-week vacation. Mr. Garfinkle announced that the commission was negotiating an amicable separation with the manager and that he would not return to work. At the time it was revealed that the airport had been flagged by the Federal Aviation Administration for a series of deficiencies during an annual spring inspection.

In September Mr. Flynn was placed on paid administrative leave.

- See more at: http://vineyardgazette.com

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