Delavan may be offered old job back

COEUR d'ALENE - The mystery of what is to happen with former airport manager Greg Delavan might be solved Monday.

Kootenai County Commissioners met for 90 minutes Monday to consider the Delavan issue. Commissioners had posted notice for two executive sessions on Friday to deal with personnel issues and a "potential discrimination claim - Delavan," the agenda stated.

Delavan was fired last fall with no reason cited. He had been airport manager for nearly 20 years.

Former Commissioner Jai Nelson adamantly opposed that decision by former Commissioner Todd Tondee and Commissioner Dan Green.

After an hour and a half behind closed doors Friday, Green and the two newly elected commissioners - David Stewart and Marc Eberlein - emerged with a single motion in open session and voted 2-1 to instruct the legal department to "proceed with what was discussed during the executive session."

Commissioner Green voted no on the motion.

When asked to elaborate on the motion, Stewart, the board chairman, said he could not comment because it was a personnel issue.

Delavan attended the meeting and met with county legal staff afterward, but said he was not at liberty to comment.

However, he did say the commissioners plan on meeting again Monday at 9:30 a.m. to take "board action on an employee contract," according to an agenda posted late Friday afternoon.

When asked if he thought they were going to offer him his job back, which both Stewart and Commissioner Eberlein had vowed to do if they were elected, Delavan said:

"That's the feeling I get but they haven't done that yet. I think there may be a pretty good story on Monday."