Why?
There doesn’t appear to be an end to the controversy over the appointment of a convicted embezzler to the Fayette County Airport Authority.
Instead of rescinding the appointment of Monty “Cash” Lilley, the Fayette County commissioners have refused to back down, claiming an investigation by county solicitor John Cupp found “nothing” to indicate that Lilley has a criminal record.
Hard to tell what Cupp was looking at, but there’s undoubtedly clear proof that Lilley has a criminal record. First, Joe Maher, vice chairman of the authority, has court documents showing that Lilley was convicted of embezzling $3.1 million from his company’s pension fund in 1992 and being sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Second, a simple Google search for Lilley comes up with a story dated Nov. 26, 1992, by Norris P. West of The Baltimore Sun.
He wrote how about Lilley was sentenced to 30 months in prison for embezzling $3.1 from his company’s pension plan. You can Google the story yourself to read all the details.
Third, a search for Lilley on the federal inmate locator website shows that he was released from prison on March 14, 1995.
Fourth, Lilley admitted to airport authority members that the records presented by Maher were true.
So, it’s very hard to understand why the commissioners are maintaining that Lilley has no criminal record. Are they in denial? Who knows?
But it’s also hard to understand why the commissioners didn’t just turn the page and find another qualified person for the airport authority. Certainly, Lilley isn’t the only person in Fayette County qualified to be a member of the board.
More importantly, several members of the authority have said they’re upset with Lilley’s appointment, feeling that it could impede the teamwork that has been so crucial to its recent success.
The airport authority is on the fast track to complete a multi-million dollar hangar project, which could be crucial to the overall economic development of the county.
Why ignore what the current board members have to say? Indeed, why upset the apple cart now? As the old saying goes, if it’s not broken, why fix it?
Another nagging question is why would Lilley want to go through all this controversy for a volunteer position? Who wants to be where they’re not wanted?
If Lilley has rehabilitated his life and wants a second chance, he could work at a food bank or pick from hundreds of other community service projects.
Unfortunately, whether anyone likes it or not, there’s a cloud over Lilley that’s just not going away anytime soon.
The commissioners must ask themselves if the appointment is worth all the controversy and the possible detrimental effect it could have on the airport and Fayette County in general.
Let’s hope the commissioners take a fresh look at this situation and do the right thing by rescinding Lilley’s appointment.
That’s the only outcome that makes any sense at this point.