Waiting For Either Trial Next Year Or Changes In FAA Rules

A lawsuit that will decide who can appoint members to the Jackson, (MS) Municipal Airport Authority (JMAA) is on hold until its trial date comes up next October, or there is some change made at the FAA.

Early this year, Mississippi State Senator John Harkins (R) pushed through a bill to change the structure of the airport commission, according to the Jackson Free Press. The commission had been five members all appointed by the Mayor of Jackson.  Harkins' bill increased that number to nine, and includes members from two neighboring counties served by the airport.

However, former JMAA commission member Rev. Jeffery Stallworth filed a lawsuit against the Governor and state legislature claiming that the bill was racially motivated. The JMAA commission had been majority black. Stallworth was eventually dropped from the lawsuit, but the city and the JMAA continue to pursue it.

Then in June, the FAA weighed in with a change in the rule governing how airport boards are chosen. The rule, published June 6 in the Federal Register, states: The FAA expects that all disputes about whether to change airport sponsorship and/or operating authority will be resolved through a legally binding agreement between the parties involved in the dispute or a final, non-reviewable legal decision."

Harkins told the paper that he has no intention of drafting any new laws, as his bill was passed and is on the books. He says now, with the election of Donald Trump as President, the dynamic could change again depending on how Transportation Secretary-designate Elaine Chao might approach the situation. However, the current administrator of the FAA, Michael Huerta, will remain in office until his term ends in 2018, or he resigns.

The lawsuit is set for trial in October, which could also determine who runs Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport.

FMI: http://jmaa.com