CAA: GA News, "Florida airport chief accuses assistant"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thursday, October 31, 2002

Martin airport chief accuses assistant
By Jill Taylor
The Palm Beach (FL) Post


STUART -- The director of Martin County's airport Tuesday accused his
assistant director of "trashing" his office and disabling electronic gates
protecting the airport perimeter, according to Martin sheriff's reports.

But Witham Field's assistant director, Mark Taylor, claims his boss, Michael
Moon, wrecked his own office and disabled the fences to destroy Taylor's
credibility in anticipation of a harassment and discrimination lawsuit.

No one has been charged, but because the allegations involve an airport, the
sheriff's office assigned a detective and crime scene investigator to the
case.

Moon told deputies Taylor was driving around the facility, "possibly
intoxicated," tampering with the gates so they would not open. Moon showed
the deputy his office, where everything had been thrown on the floor.

Taylor, 44, was suspended with pay until the sheriff's office and the county
complete investigations.

He said the flap started after he and Moon met Tuesday morning to talk about
a new position that was created for the airport.

Taylor, who makes $30,000 a year, said he wanted to apply for the $52,000
position, arguing he was already doing the work.

But he said Moon added a requirement for a degree in airport administration
and told Taylor he would not be considered for the position because he
didn't have that degree.

Taylor said he then told Moon he planned to file complaints that he was
harassed with constant "cussing" by Moon and that Moon frequently made
derogatory remarks about Taylor's disabled veteran status. Taylor said he
was shot in the Gulf War, broke his back and neck in a training accident and
receives a military pension after 16 years in the U.S. Army.

"He would repeatedly tell me that I didn't deserve a raise because I was
already getting a pension," Taylor said. "He cussed me out pretty much every
day."

Taylor said he suspects Moon vandalized his own office and disabled the
gates, knowing the federal employment complaint was coming.

Moon would not comment other than to say Taylor's claims would "be answered
by the results of the investigation."

An airport business owner, Doug Capen of Stuart Jet Center, told deputies he
saw Taylor driving around to the gates.

Capen would not comment on his statement Wednesday.

Another airport businessman, Ron Letourneau, said he talked to Taylor around
the time the deputies were called, and he saw no indication Taylor had been
drinking.

"When he came and talked to me, he was not intoxicated," Letourneau said. "I
would say he was mentally stressed, but he was not intoxicated."

The deputy who took the call did not say whether he noticed any signs of
intoxication, but there is no indication he asked Taylor to take any
sobriety tests. Sheriff's officials said the deputy did require Taylor to
find someone to take him home rather than allow him to drive.

Federal prosecutor Mark Johnson in Fort Pierce said he did not believe
tampering with the gates would constitute a federal crime but said he would
have to research recent changes in the laws regrading airport security to be
certain.

Taylor's job evaluations all have been satisfactory or better, according to
county records.

   Post your opinion on this story in the CAA General Aviation Forum
http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID2

*****************************************