Gary/Chicago International Airport Officials Back Off 'Private' Meeting with Gary Mayor

March 1, 2004

Airport Officials Back Off 'Private' Meeting with Gary
Mayor
Munster Times, IN

GARY -- One called it a fireside chat.

Another said a recent plan for Gary/Chicago
International Airport's governing board to meet
privately with Gary Mayor Scott King was a "strategic
planning session" to grow the airport.

But Indiana public access counselor Michael Hurst said
the planned private get-together likely would be
illegal.

Whenever a majority of a governing body assembles to
take official action on public business, it
constitutes a public meeting, Hurst said.

"Official action isn't just a final vote -- it's
receiving information or deliberating. It's making
recommendations, and it sounds like that may be the
kind of stuff they're planning to do," he said.

Airport officials set no date for the session.

The airport board's attorney, Darnail Lyles, who
originally said the session would be proper, said in a
recent telephone interview that he modified that
stance on Feb. 18, after reviewing Indiana's open-door
law.

"If you have a quorum present, that's a meeting,''
Lyles said.

Airport administrator Paul Karas has been advised of
his new view, Lyles said.

Karas requested the session to discuss financing
issues involving airport growth, and the Federal
Aviation Administration's environmental review to
expand the airport's primary runway.

Finding a way to provide dedicated funding for the
airport also may be discussed, Lyles said. Board
members would consider trying to pass state
legislation or a local ordinance earmarking a
percentage of casino revenues to the airport
authority.

"If people are saying this is the biggest economic
engine in the state, the question is, why isn't there
dedicated funding so every year we don't have to
scramble for money?" Lyles said. "We could rely on
something for a change. Right now, we're like
beggars."

Largo, Fla.-based Southeast Airlines began commercial
air service from Gary to St. Petersburg, Fla., on
Wednesday.

The Rev. Marion Johnson Jr., a board member who
compared the proposed session to a "fireside chat,"
said he thought a majority meeting would be proper,
because no decisions would be made and no business
would be conducted.

Indiana's Court of Appeals on July 26, 2002, affirmed
a lower court decision that the board's Oct. 25, 2000,
executive session notice violated open door law
because it was too vague. The airport authority was
ordered to pay trial and legal fees to Charles Maclin,
who sued the board. Records indicate that amount
totaled $16,472.


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