KINGMAN – Carl Hays has alleged illegal diversion of Kingman Airport revenue as he resigned his position as member and Chairman of the Kingman Airport Advisory Commission. Hays’ Oct. 28 resignation letter came after he previously sided with exiting Airport Manager Steve Johnston while criticizing management and leadership at City Hall.
City manager Ron Foggin fired back last month claiming that Hays was overstepping his advisory role as a commissioner and improperly involving himself in airport operations. Foggin said Johnston, who is working through Friday after resigning Sept. 30, was reporting to Hays and the Commission rather than municipal management.
“Upper management found other non-airport uses for airport funds and deleted needed expenditures from the budgets,” Hays said in his resignation letter. “The intention of the upper management was to divert the land sale proceeds to non-airport uses. I am truly shocked that the Council has had no objection to this plan…I can no longer be a party to diversion of funds or gross mismanagement that caused Mr. Johnston to resign.”
Foggin denied Hays’ allegations in a Nov. 4 email to the Mayor and Council. “I have every confidence that we have done everything by the book,” the city manager said.
Foggin’s assessment was bolstered by Interim Airport Manager Joe Husband.
“Since the City of Kingman has operated the airport, beginning in May of 2018, there has been no revenue diversion from land sales in the industrial park and all sales and procedures have been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),” Husband stated in a Nov. 4 email to Foggin. “All land sales accounting is meticulously maintained to ensure compliance with all regulations.”
Vice Mayor Travis Lingenfelter, Council liason to the Airport Advisory Commission, also contends Hays is out of bounds.
“Mr. Hays wanted to dictate the daily administrative activities of city staff, which is not appropriate for a commissioner’s appointed role,” Lingenfelter said in a Nov. 4 text. “I’m confident that the City of Kingman and FAA are working very closely together, and that all expenses are being tracked by the Kingman Finance Department. It’s all public record,” Lingenfelter said.
Johnston was sent home on Oct. 16 and was not to return to the airport unless summoned prior to Friday, the effective date of his resignation.
Husband started as interim manager in mid-Oct. and he told the advisory commission Monday that he thinks he’ll be on the job for 2-4 months. He said the city will begin recruiting for a new manager in early Dec.
Dave Hawkins
A lot of hypocrisy coming from the soon to be gone Vice Mayor. He used the same overblown rhetoric when the City council performed a coup d’tat on the previous Airport Authority, alleging loudly all this missing money and diversion, which was found to be completely false, as in this case. This what the Council gets for putting someone who litigated with the old airport authority for years over fees he never paid. He lost all the litigation, so Hays had an axe to grind with anybody doing their job at the airport.
A lot of hypocrisy coming from the soon to be gone Vice Mayor. He used the same overblown rhetoric when the City council performed a coup d’tat on the previous Airport Authority, alleging loudly all this missing money and diversion, which was found to be completely false, as in this case. This what the Council gets for putting someone who litigated with the old airport authority for years over fees he never paid. He lost all the litigation, so Hays had an axe to grind with anybody doing their job at the airport.