Pilots Seek to Keep Airports Official
About 170 pilots are petitioning the Board of Supervisors to reject the resignation of county Airports Administrator Marshall A. MacKinen, who has announced that he plans to step down at the end of the year.
The pilots, led by Camarillo resident Bill Melly, said they believe that MacKinen is being forced out because he angered county officials by opposing development near the airport--an allegation that county officials deny.
“He went to bat for us a lot,” Melly said. “When developers wanted to build in the flight path, he stood up and said, ‘That’s not right.’ ”
MacKinen could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
In September, MacKinen filed a letter announcing his plans to resign, saying he wants to direct a high-volume commercial airport.
Supervisor John K. Flynn said he believes that the board should consider the pilots’ request to encourage MacKinen to stay.
“I think any time there is a petition from citizens, it needs to be considered carefully,” Flynn said. “It is not that often that you get that many users coming to the defense of a staff member.”
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