Councilwoman to question airport director over the awarding of contracts at LAX
Los Angeles officials are questioning whether the top executive overseeing Los Angeles International Airport improperly influenced the hiring of an engineering firm to manage a $5- to $8-billion capital improvement program.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn said Monday that she wants to question airport executive director Gina Marie Lindsey about the awarding of a $25-million management contract in March to DMJM Aviation Inc. of Tampa, Fla., whose parent company is based in Los Angeles.
DMJM was selected by the Board of Airport Commissioners although Bechtel Corp. of San Francisco was initially recommended for the job during the evaluation process.
"We need to have some of our questions answered," said Hahn, who chairs the council's Trade, Commerce and Tourism committee that oversees LAX. Airport modernization "is so important I don't want any cloud hanging over our heads about the award of contracts. Let's have transparency and openness as we go forward in this process."
Lindsey said Monday that she welcomed Hahn's review and that there was nothing improper about her role in contracts related to the airport's capital improvement program. The projects include a new taxiway, a midfield concourse and the renovation of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
"We are delighted we can talk to the councilwoman and address each and every one of her questions," Lindsey said. "We are happy to go through all of them. The firms were treated fairly."
Lindsey, however, said she would not elaborate on the contracts until after discussing them with Hahn. She also declined to comment on the subject of a confidential meeting held last week involving her and the airport commission's audit and ethics committee.
Airport sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said committee members questioned Lindsey about the DMJM contract. No action was taken by the panel after meeting in closed session for almost two hours.
Sources said the ethics hearing was at least partly prompted by an anonymous complaint letter from someone who appears to be a veteran employee of the city's airport department.
The letter, which began circulating last week at City Hall and the headquarters of Los Angeles World Airports, accused Lindsey of manipulating the contract process and pushing for the hiring of DMJM instead of Bechtel.
