Some business operators at the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport are "paranoid or scared" at the direction a new airport authority is taking, Gale Wilson of Hillcrest Aircraft Co. told county commissioners Thursday.

"They are not against the authority but against the people you've selected," Wilson said. With the negative culture that exists now regarding the authority and fears of retaliation if they speak out, "it's not going to work," he said.

Wilson said he doesn't share their fears, so he felt free to carry their message.

That message, reiterated by Richard (Jim) Finley, a county appointee to the authority, was one of the issues the commission tackled Thursday by deciding to redo the whole application and appointment process.

The primary concern, however, appeared to be Prosecutor Dan Spickler's statements that the process used initially may have violated open meeting laws by incorporating a secret ballot that excluded the public from the thought processes used in naming the authority members. Repeating the process also will allow the commissioners to divulge any information given to them in "serial meetings."

Serial meetings are when public officials are contacted separately instead of in a public setting about a subject they will make a decision on. Any time a public official is contacted about an issue, the details must be disclosed before deliberations begin, Spickler said.

Spickler said both the balloting and serial meetings can be gray areas in the law, and he found no intent by anyone to circumvent the law. But his recommendation was the commission institute a "do-over" just in case a citizen decided to challenge any of the commission's actions.

The county's two finalists for the authority, Finley and Jesse (Skip) Heard, agreed to withdraw if that would ease the process.

There would be no problem with reappointing one or both of them, Spickler said, because his concerns are with procedures, not with the commission's choices.

Each of the previous applicants will be contacted to see if they wish to remain in the running, and new applications will be accepted at the commissioners' office through 5 p.m. April 16. Public interviews and deliberations will be scheduled after that.

Within an hour of the meeting ending, a call had been received asking for an application form.

Commissioners also agreed they will accept applications from anyone in the geographical area served by the airport.

The city's two appointees live outside the city limits and one, retired accountant John C. Scott, is an Asotin County resident. The Nez Perce County resident, Kent Simmons, is a partner in an airport self-refueling business, and Heard is rumored to be associated with that business. Heard has refused to comment.

City Attorney Don L. Roberts who attended the meeting said later in an e-mail he will not suggest the city council redo its selection because it didn't use a secret ballot.

Wilson said the people elected to oversee the airport's operations, past and present, haven't done their jobs. Some people aren't happy with the manager, Robin Turner, but if direction and goals had been clear from the airport owners, that wouldn't be the case, he said.

"None of us are pilots," Spickler said, and the hope is that creating the authority will provide more expertise in the day-to-day operation.

Pilots aren't what are needed, Wilson countered. The airport will need legal and accounting and engineering expertise. The authority doesn't need an airport tenant like himself, Wilson said. Tenants, he said, "Are pushing their personal agendas."

Wilson was complimentary of the efforts the airport advisory commission, chaired by Heard, has made to work with Turner to improve airport operations.

Finley also urged the city and county to adopt a phased approach to letting the authority take over the airport. That's being done, the two attorneys said. The authority also will be subject to open meeting laws. And if things fall apart or changes need to be made, the joint powers agreement can be amended at any time, Roberts said.

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Lee may be contacted at slee@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2266.