Carl Newman's sudden resignation as the CEO of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority on March 26 surprised more than a few people. The CEO was well-respected by the local business community and his peers. He was the past-Chairman of the American Association of Airport Executives. However, the minutes of the JMAA Board of Commissioner's March 25 meeting provide some more information about why he resigned.
The Board passed this resolution:
The employee in question is the HR Director. Some personnel changes took place at the airport that well, let's just say did not please the Commissioners. They ordered Mr. Newman to fire the HR Director. Mr. Newman refused to do so. Shades of former JPD Chief Lee Vance's experience when he resigned.
Mr. Newman's resistance to the Board's decision brought on this motion a few minutes later:
The Board voted to contract with a "consultant" to review Mr. Newman's performance, the structural organization, and make "suggestions." The firm has a good reputation in the aviation industry. However, the resolution was not on the agenda.
Mr. Newman tendered his resignation the next day. Mr. Newman told this correspondent shortly afterwards "I am at peace with my decision." Several sawces said Mr. Newman had enough of the Board's micromanagement. There had been some friction between the CEO and several board members for quite some time. They thought he didn't use enough local firms and farmed out too much work to out of state companies. They tried to can him a year ago but to his credit, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba intervened and put a kibosh on their efforts. However, the directive to fire an employee and decision to hire a consultant to "advise" him on how to do his job were the last straws for Carl Newman.
26 comments:
Carl Newman was simply not African enough, and too murch American, for the peoples of Kush.
Carl was an exceptional leader with the bunch of misfit non qualified board members. The board was worthy of making JPS administrators look qualified. That's saying alot!!!
ALL appointed board members on ALL boards (especially in Jackson) need training about the role of boards. The board members can't seem to focus on the role they play and how they should support the professionals that work in those organizations.
That sounds borderline illegal for an appointed board to make personnel decisions at the staff level unless they were aware of illegal activity of some sort (which it sounds like they were not).
What competent CEO is going to take the job after reading those minutes? Rhetorical question, we all know the answer.
Well Jackson needs an airport that has the same level of "excellence" as the town itself.....doesn't it ? What a freaking joke !
Competent executives don't put up with that crap because they know they are easily employed elsewhere. Should Chuckway Jr. not go aggressively after the DPW corruption Miller will walk also.
How long until the runways have potholes like the rest of Jackson streets?
Typical. The Class Reunion organizers, Nurses, and Preachers think they are Executives. This whole city is a joke. The only thing I wish is that the Crop Duster International was actually in Hinds County. The most qualified person at the airport and yall ran his ass off too.
Very recently I voted against this slipshod board by utilizing the New Orleans Airport. The fares were much cheaper and because it was a direct flight to my destination, the time spent traveling to New Orleans was negated. I don't blame my choice of airports solely on the Board, but the way they are doing business gives me no reason to support the Jackson airport.
Now hold on a minute. It is my understanding that the airport board is an appointed board, and while those appointed to the board may have absolutely no qualifications at all, the blame lies with whatever scholars put them there.
Jactown can't have an Uncle Tom running the airport.
Going to need the airport takeover bill reintroduced and passed next session.
This is exactly why they were trying to get management away from Jackson. The cannot stand losing on item of the empire even though he slowly flows into the sink. They will not be happy until they run this airport into the ground like they have everything In Jackson. 4 years to get a water bill really really enough said right there. If I didn't live her i wouldn't believe it
Serious question--I thought there was an effort to make the airport a try-county enterprise and not controlled by Jackson only. Seemed to make a lot of sense. Whatever happened to that?
It concerns me that Kush agitators seem to control the airport.
The HRD was a close former associate of the CEO imported shortly after his hire.
The state takeover is on hold pending FHA approval. FHA typically won't approve if there is not agreement of all parties, so they are at a standstill.
Losing Newman might very well push this one over the top for the state republicans licking their chops to steer some contracts. Current airport board got greedy. They had just about weathered the storm, now this.
Answer to 1:47 (since the jackass at 2:53 is spewing ignorant $h!+ out of his/her @$$):
Immediately after SB 2162 was signed by P Bryant into law in 2016, the muckraker, Jeffrey Stallworth, sued the Gov in USDC in Jackson asserting that SB2162 was "raycess." Case assigned to Reeves/Ball. Yarber intervened in the lawsuit on behalf of Jacktown. Stallworth was booted as not having standing. Eventually JMAA and the individual JMAA board members intervened. MadCo and Rankin were added as additional defendants. That lawsuit has come to a friggin crawl over discovery-related disputes. It has already been to the 5th circuit once on interlocutory appeal over the scope of discovery available to the plaintiffs. In a shocking development (not), Reeves was reversed on his discovery ruling. Eventually the case will be decided by Reeves. Assuming he rules in favor of the plaintiffs, he will be reversed by the 5th circuit, again, and the case will stand resolved in favor of the state. Once a final ruling stands, the FAA will issue the required certificate to the new board and the regional airport will be "under new management."
To clarify, the FAA is not waiting for the "parties to agree." The FAA is waiting for either a voluntary termination of the litigation (which will NEVER happen with the kushites) or an end to the litigation in the normal course (which the 5th circuit will eventually deliver). The FAA will not issue a certificate while litigation is pending.
@2:53 PM - What does the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) have to do with airports? You must be a product of the JPS.
Why did he leave? Smart people have problems working with stupid people overseeing their work.
He left because he doesn't suffer fools easily.
What was the ruling by Reeves that was overturned by the Fifth?
9:13AM hit the nail right on the head.
Yawn
This is the typical Mississippi political " food fight" for political spoils.
Awarding government contracts can get bring money and power to the politician and those he or she appoints.
Woe be unto the " outsider" executor brought in to clean up the "kitchen floor" . That nearly always requires bringing in outside contractors to stop the " food" from being thrown in the first place.
It's beyond hypocritical that some of you " blame " what you call " the Kush" when you are blind as a bat when the " pale Kush" do the same. Indeed, the "pale face" effort to take over the airport, is for no other purpose than to benefit themselves ( which they did for decades ).
It is a pity that " the Kush", instead of righting past wrongs, most often choose to instead do what was done by the " pale faces" and sadly, given that they are less experienced at political deception, tend to look inept. They just don't do crooked politics as well, but they do manage to always have the same rationalizations to excuse themselves.
I hate to see Carl Newman runway, as he does tower over the commissioners. Hopefully he will land on his feet and this departure isn't terminal, plane and simple.
"Smart people have problems working with stupid people overseeing their work."
Talk about hitting the nail on the head. Stellar!
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