Town Manager Derek Brindisi has ordered an immediate halt of all town services at Plymouth Municipal Airport, escalating his ongoing feud with airport commissioners over management of the facility.
The new policy follows an April superior court judge’s order instructing him to stop getting involved in airport business.
Brindisi last week instructed town employees to stop providing IT support, handling public records requests, posting Airport Commission agendas on the town’s website, insuring airport vehicles, and a host of financial services including the issuing of employee tax statements.
Only regular payroll for Airport employees, and police and fire services, would remain unchanged under the directive.
A lawyer for the airport described Brindisi’s action as barred retaliation and said the town manager is “making a mockery” of the court order by disrupting operations.
He said airport commissioners are planning to seek a contempt finding against Brindisi along with an order to reverse his actions.
“I’m floored that he would do this,” said Robert Galvin, who represents the Airport Commission.
“We weren’t looking to change any of the functions,” he said, ticking off potential disastrous consequences that could result if the town walked away.”
“Canceling insurance — how is that not intended to destroy the functioning of the airport?” Galvin said. “What if there’s an accident and there’s no insurance?
“I’m horrified to be candid.”
The ongoing political and legal dispute comes amid numerous noise complaints from neighbors at the airport and the commission’s controversial plans for expansion. A proposal for a $7.6 runway extension to 5,000 feet – enough opponents say could accommodate some larger jets – was defeated at Town Meeting in 2024, but other improvements were adopted.
The April 9 ruling came after the airport commissioners, who are appointed by the town’s Select Board, filed a lawsuit against the town and Brindisi, alleging he threatened to withhold town funds if he wasn’t given more say in airport decisions.
In the suit, the Airport Commission accused Brindisi of overstepping his authority and meddling in airport affairs – even threatening to privatize airport management.
The commission alleged Brindisi was essentially looking to seize control of the airport, making employment and other administrative decisions, including the selection of the airport manager and demanding employees report to him.
In his three-paragraph order issued on April 9, Plymouth Superior Court Judge Gregg Pasquale made clear he believes Brindisi inserted himself where he does not belong.
“The public interest in having a properly functioning airport is self-evident and rises above the town manager’s desire to control issues at the airport that are beyond his authority,” the judge wrote.
He found Brindisi’s actions have “inhibited the proper function of the airport” and said the Airport Commission was likely to win the lawsuit if it went forward.
Brindisi has denied the interference allegations, saying he got involved only after some employees alleged they were mistreated by commission chair Kenneth Fosdick.
Brindisi declined to describe the substance of any complaints, citing a confidential internal investigation.
“My priority has always been the wellbeing of the employees who work at the airport,” said Brindisi. “I will continue to work toward that end until this is resolved.”
Brindisi also said Plymouth town managers have appointed the airport manager since 1995.
Town officials have argued the Plymouth charter gives the town manager authority to appoint all department and division heads in town — which would include the airport. But Fosdick argued Brindisi’s interference was undermining the agency’s ability to “move forward with the airport.
“We need to hire a new (permanent) manager and Mr. Brindisi is interfering and thinking he can appoint him. We feel it’s our responsibility…f” Fosdick said last month.
“He continued to push us into a position that was untenable and the only way we could resolve this was through court action,” he told the Independent.
He said the commission is “clearly” empowered to make personnel decisions. Any argument to the contrary, he said, is based on “faulty logic.”
The April 9 injunction barred Brindisi or anyone else from the town from getting involved in “the care, custody of the Plymouth Municipal Airport or its management.”
Under the court order, town officials also were prohibited from retaliating in any way against the Airport Commission or its members or employees.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.