Panel Snubs Gee’s ‘Prejudice’ Complaint

Fellow members of the Burbank Airport Authority snubbed with silence Monday a complaint by anti-noise activist Margie Gee that minutes of the authority’s meetings “reflect prejudice against me.”

Gee’s complaint was made in a stinging letter to Thomas Greer, director of airport services, whose staff compiles the minutes of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority’s twice-monthly meetings.

The clash was the latest skirmish in a continuing battle between Gee, a homeowners activist and the authority’s most outspoken critic of airport noise, and the authority’s president, Robert W. Garcin.

Minutes of the authority’s meetings have long been a source of squabbles among commissioners because of Gee’s frequent requests for corrections and additions.

Transcript Requests Neglected

Gee, in a letter Garcin made public at Monday’s meeting, wrote to Greer that the minutes “often reflect prejudice against me and my participational remarks.” She also complained that her requests for verbatim transcripts of authority discussions have been neglected, while similar requests from other commissioners have been honored.

“Such negligence and pettiness have continued on a regular basis over the last year,” Gee charged.

Gee closed with the warning that: “It should be entirely unnecessary for such pettinesses and negligences to go on record, or against someone’s personnel file, or in an official complaint, especially if such ‘oversights’ are a result of someone else’s orchestrations or orders.”

Frequent Clashes

Gee did not say who she thought could have been giving Greer such “orders,” but she has frequently clashed with Garcin, the ranking member of the authority.

Although Gee protested Monday to other members of the authority that the letter was a “private” communication, Garcin--who learned about it from Greer--said he considered the charges so serious that they had to be made public.

Garcin said he had sent letters to Burbank Mayor Mary Kelsey and to Viggo Butler, president of Lockheed Air Terminal, saying that he was releasing the letter. Gee was appointed to the nine-seat authority by the Burbank City Council. Lockheed Air Terminal administers the airport for the authority and employs the airport staff.

In his letter to Butler, Garcin described Gee’s letter as a “diatribe.”

Complaints Ignored

After Garcin brought up Gee’s letter Monday, the other seven commissioners simply ignored her list of complaints. Two of them expressed high regard for the airport staff, without directly referring to her letter.

Gee later made a motion to have minutes “accurately” reflect authority actions and proceedings. Her motion received no support from the other commissioners, who passed on to other business.

Afterward, Greer said he thought the matter was settled even though there had been no direct response to Gee’s letter.

“I feel the reaction from the authority was sufficient,” Greer said.