AIRPORT: Hit and run

Without any knowledge of local politics having newly arrived here in Coeur d’Alene, it sure seems like there is something “rotten in Denmark” when the outgoing county commissioner makes it his business to fire a longstanding airport manager as he leaves his position as commissioner. Hell, that’s the same thing Obama is doing!

Apparently there is a law preventing these people from discussing this in public. Very convenient. Just destroy someone’s life and then claim you can’t talk about it because of some obscure statute. According to Commissioner David Stewart who voted to retain Mr. Delavan, Mr. Delavan is an outstanding employee and has done a great job with the airport. It seems to me a reasonable person would agree that he isn’t being treated fairly or at least deserves to be heard publicly.

This smells. I would hope that Mr. Delavan would write a letter to this paper explaining to the public why Dan Green has a “vendetta” against him, and has had for years according to a careful reading of the articles, thereby bypassing the “law” which allows Mr. Green to operate in this fashion without giving any reason for the firing.

It’s clear there is a longstanding problem of some kind between Green and Mr. Delavan. Pretty sad to wait until you’re leaving office to drop the hammer on someone in my opinion. After years of service to the community, you’d think Mr. Delavan would deserve better.

MICHAEL QUINN

Coeur d’Alene