CAA: GA News, "Assistant airport director fired"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thursday, December 5, 2002

Assistant airport director fired
By Jill Taylor
The Palm Beach (FL) Post


STUART -- Martin County's assistant airport director was fired Wednesday
after county officials concluded he tampered with security gates at
Witham Field after arguing with his boss in October.

Mark Taylor, 44, said he will ask for a grievance hearing under county
policy, but he doesn't expect to win his appeal.

"I intend to sue the county for wrongful termination, harassment and
discrimination," Taylor said Wednesday.

Airport Director Michael Moon accused Taylor of "trashing" his office
and disabling security gates after he was informed he would not be
considered for a new, higher paying position at the airport.

The county investigation involved interviews with people Moon said
witnessed the gate tampering and information that someone entered the
airport office using Taylor's code the night Moon found files and
desktop items shoved to the floor in Taylor's office.

In the interviews, no one reported seeing Taylor tamper with the gate
codes, but they said they saw him around the gates and then they didn't
work properly.

Taylor told investigators he spoke with the security gate technician,
who said there was no evidence of tampering. There was no interview of
the technician included in the county's investigative file.

Taylor said there have been continuing problems with the gates since
they were installed in response to higher airport security orders after
the Sept. 11 attacks.

He said Moon and others knew his office code and any one of a number of
people could have used it to get in the office.

Taylor said he believes Moon set up the entire incident to get rid of
him because he was threatening to file a complaint against him.

County Administrator Russ Blackburn, who signed the termination letter,
was out of town and unavailable for comment. Moon is on vacation and
could not be reached.

There are conflicting reports in the interviews and much of the
information is third hand. Some witnesses said they thought Taylor was
under the influence of alcohol the night of the incident and others said
he seemed fine.

One witness, Art Lancour, reported he saw Taylor drive through a gate
behind him and "it looked like he was punching in a new code," according
to sworn testimony.

Lancour said he tried to go through the same gate and his code would not
work, so he notified his boss, who notified Moon. Moon called the
sheriff's office.

Lancour was apparently the person referred to by Moon and three other
witnesses when they testified that Taylor was seen changing the gate
codes.

Sheriff's officials said an investigation into whether criminal charges
will be brought is not complete.


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