Fri, Mar 05, 2010
Jim Maurer Claims He Was Ousted Over Security Concerns He
Raised
Jim Maurer, the former head of security at O'Hare
International Airport in Chicago says he was fired from his job
because he raised security concerns, and has filed a lawsuit for
compensation and reinstatement.
Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolina says Maurer was fired
because he "physically attacked" one of her top aides, Ellen
O'Connor. But Maurer claims that she made up the charge, going so
far as to have O'Connor file a "false police report" because she
wanted to get rid of him.
The Chicago Sun Times reports that Maurer claims that every time
he brought up security issues, Andolina "didn’t want to hear
about it. It all cost money. It interfered with their O’Hare
Modernization Program. That’s all they care about.” He
said O'Hare is the least secure airport in the country, and that
the commissioners dismissed his concerns out of hand. He cited his
efforts to convince Andolina to move a communications hub away from
the terminal core as one example of suggestions that were
disregarded.
But he said the largest issue is that private vehicles are
allowed to park on the secure side of the airfield. Maurer said TSA
has warned O'Hare twice about letting airline employees park in the
northwest hangar area, but that the practice continues because the
commission does not want to upset the airlines.
In his lawsuit, Maurer is asking for $2 million in damages for
what he says was a "retaliatory discharge" and slander. Chicago
Mayor Richard Daley dismissed Maurer's allegations out of hand,
calling the former Chicago Police Department chief-of-patrol
"disgruntled." He said O'Hare is a "good airport" and "perfectly
safe."
More News
Aero Linx: International Business Aviation Council Ltd IBAC promotes the growth of business aviation, benefiting all sectors of the industry and all regions of the world. As a non->[...]
"During the annual inspection of the B-24 “Diamond Lil” this off-season, we made the determination that 'Lil' needs some new feathers. Due to weathering, the cloth-cove>[...]
Also: Bushcat Woes, Hummingbird 300 SL 4-Seat Heli Kit, Carbon Cub UL The newest Junkers is a faithful recreation that mates a 7-cylinder Verner radial engine to the airframe offer>[...]
Also: Seaplane Pilots Association, Rotax 916’s First Year, Gene Conrad After a decade and a half of struggling with the FAA and other aero-politics, G100UL is in production a>[...]
Also: Martha King Scholarship, Montaer Grows, Textron Updates Pistons, FlySto The FAA is hiring thousands of air traffic controllers, but the window to apply will only be open for >[...]