DANVILLE, IL. (ECWd) –
Apparently the Herald-Review, interviewed two of the Vermilion County Regional Airport Authority Commissioners about our allegations that three of the remaining airport commissioners are disqualified from serving in those appointed positions (their article is here).
First things first, according to the article, board chairman Dave Kietzman stated to the reporter that the Airport Board voted 4-0 (with 3 of them being disqualified from serving) to accept a resignation. They then proceeded to appoint a new airport manager, with a 4-0 vote (with 3 of them being disqualified to serve) – without that action being properly placed on the agenda, creating a violation of law by taking action on an item not listed on the agenda. Violations of the Open Meetings Act are Class C Misdemeanors.
Who is Dave Kietzman?
- Kietzman does not live within the taxing boundaries of the Airport Authority – he thinks he can make taxing decisions on people he does not answer to, and implement taxes that he is not obligated to pay
- Kietzman is also disqualified by state law because he is also employed by the DACC, VVEDS
Also according to the article, Steve Foster (another commissioner ineligible to serve) is quoted as stating that “taxing body board for airports can be structured differently. From what he’s heard, there are four types of airport boards in Illinois under the Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics and most airport boards have an aldermen or county board members serve on them depending on if the airport is city or county of jointly owned.” He added “the state wants legislation revisited, with the attorney general looking into it.”
Steve Foster has apparently never thought to read the Airport Authorities Act – or he is intentionally misleading the reporter in an attempt at not looking bad. Nothing he said makes any sense at all and does not take into account Airport Authorities like the airport in Vermilion County.
Here, we will paste it so our readers will know (or click here to read the statute 70 ILCS 5/5):
Sec. 5. Qualifications of commissioners and removal from office. No person shall be appointed to the Board of Commissioners of any Airport Authority who has any financial interest in the establishment or continued existence thereof or who is a member of the governing body or an officer or employee of a municipality, a county, or any other unit of local government . . .
That is not a hard paragraph to read and comprehend, but apparently it is to Steve Foster, Dave Kietzman, William Ingram, and the airport attorney (who should have had all of them removed from office years ago). Some of the blame goes to the Mayor of Danville, who appointed Steve Foster to a position he was and is not qualified to hold.
Who is Steve Foster?
- Foster is an Alderman in the City of Danville and cannot serve as an airport authority commissioner – but he tries fudging his way thru to at least one more meeting instead of doing the honorable thing and resigning
- Nothing he said about other airports has any relevance to the Vermilion County Airport Authority
- It does not matter if the AG is “looking into it” – he cannot remain in that position
These people should be refused a seat at the table of future Airport Authority board meetings because they are not qualified to serve in that capacity.
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