One reason that Louis Miller is no longer the director of Tampa International Airport was the blowback from a series of actions that he committed secretly that were reported on by the media earlier this year, embarrassing himself and the other members of the Aviation Authority.
Once it appeared that he had lost the confidence of his greatest champion, Mayor Pam Iorio, Miller decided suddenly to quit, but rebounded nicely for himself yesterday when he was named to be the new director of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's largest and busiest airports.
But as the members of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority begin their interviews this week on a successor to Miller, they seemingly have been immune from understanding that the 14-year director's fall from grace occurred in part because of his seeming contempt for open government. Board members had announced that they intended this week to conduct their interviews with the candidates in private behind closed doors, prompting a fierce editorial in Tuesday's St. Petersburg Times.
Public officials throughout Florida have long used one-on-one meetings to circumvent open government laws. Airport board chairman Al Austin said it would be "uncomfortable" for the finalists to be interviewed in public meetings.
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, who also sits on the board, wants to have private interviews, too. She says she gets a better feel for candidates outside the glare that a public meeting can bring.
These excuses are not good enough. Florida's Sunshine Law has not prevented the state from hiring some of its best and brightest public servants. Cities hire city managers, universities hire presidents and government at every level hires contractors, engineers, attorneys and other professionals while complying with the reasonable degree of public scrutiny afforded by the Sunshine Law.
If these candidates are "uncomfortable" with public scrutiny, then they are not the right people to lead TIA.
After reading that op-ed, Aviation Authority member Steve Burton, whose frustrations in working with Miller led to an outburst between the two last December that was perhaps the beginning of the end for the longtime airport head, has decided to open up his one-on-one interviews with the four candidates tomorrow afternoon.
In a brief conversation with CL, Burton said it was the right thing to do. But he may be the only board member who feels that way. Burton was named to the authority over a year ago by Governor Charlie Crist along with Joseph Diaco, who backed Burton in his call for a new study group to look at the airport possibly getting more direct international flights. But Diacco told Steve Huettel in the St. Pete Times that he has no intention of having his interviews aired in front of other people, and Mayor Iorio has also indicated that she believes it's fine to conduct the interview behind closed doors. No word on what Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagan or other board member Al Austin have in mind.
