Mayor wants to fire airport manager in Vermont
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The mayor of Burlington wants to fire the city's aviation director who's accused of yelling and cursing at airport employees and of repeatedly filling his private vehicle with airport gas.
Mayor Miro Weinberger announced Friday that he initiated the termination process for Aviation Director Gene Richards after an independent investigator found that he mistreated employees and used poor judgment in utilizing city property.
“The mistreatment of city employees documented in this investigation is unacceptable and Mr. Richards can no longer serve the city in a leadership role, despite his many past accomplishments," the mayor said in a statement.
Richards didn't immediately return a cellphone message on Saturday.
An investigation was launched after a Federal Aviation Administration employee discovered repeated use of a gasoline facility by a private vehicle.
The investigation concluded Richards used the gasoline facility to fuel his personal vehicle 59 times in a six-month period without any documentation of the purpose of the fuel and travel.
The report concluded that he didn't violate any specific policy but suggested he used poor judgment by declining to consult city officials.
Richards, who has been on leave since June 30, told investigators it was OK to gas up because he used his vehicle for city business.