Judge rules Detroit Metro airport violated state act in hiring ex-CEO

DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Metropolitan Airport Authority violated the state's Open Meetings Act during the hiring of its now-fired chief executive, according to a Wayne County Circuit Court judge. Multiple violations of the state act were found in the process that led to Turkia Mullin's hiring, Judge Robert Colombo ruled last Friday. He also issued an injunction against future violations. Mullin is suing the Airport Authority in a separate case, claiming it violated the Open Meetings Act when it fired her Oct. 31 by a 5-2 vote after board members returned from a closed-door meeting. Colombo's ruling, in response to an activist challenging meetings held by the Airport Authority that led to Mullin being hired, does not invalidate her hiring. Mullin took the airport job, for which she was to be paid $250,000 annually, after resigning in September as Wayne County's economic development director. She got $200,000 in severance after leaving the county job, but later returned the money after she and County Executive Robert Ficano came under criticism about the amount of the payment. The FBI is now investigating the deal. An Airport Authority resolution calling for her firing pointed to a section in Mullin's contract that dealt with dishonesty, theft, willful misconduct and breach of fiduciary duty. The authority wants to undergo Open Meetings Act training, chair Mary Zuckerman said in a statement after Colombo's ruling. "The Authority Board believed it acted in compliance with the Open Meetings Act in its CEO search process, and it was never the intention of the Board to violate the law," she said. Published: Tue, Dec 20, 2011