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No sanctions follow ethics findings Settlements face airport official, council member By CHRIS BRISTOL SALEM � A Medford airport supervisor who used limited hangar space for storage of a boat and other personal belongings was found guilty of an ethics violation Friday. The Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission made a preliminary finding against airport Operations Supervisor Robert Russell, who has about a month to decide whether to seek a contested hearing. The ethics commission also made a preliminary finding against Medford City Council member Matt Hart, who was accused of using a city-owned laptop computer for personal business. No sanctions were imposed in either case. Ethics staff Director Patrick Hearn said both men have about a month to negotiate individual settlements, typically fines of up to $1,000. The Hart violation was considered minor by ethics staff. Hearn said the commission�s finding in the Russell matter was tempered by the fact that Russell used the hangar with the "blessing and concurrence" of airport Director Bern Case. "I think the commission sees that as a mitigating circumstance," Hearn said. "Doesn�t excuse it, but it is a mitigating factor." In a related matter, the commission also dismissed an ethics complaint against airport Office Supervisor Craig Baldwin, who was accused of having his home air-conditioning unit fixed by a maintenance employee. Baldwin and Russell were investigated by ethics staff in response to complaints made by Southern Oregon Militia spokesman Carl Worden, based on an internal Jackson County audit that criticized airport management for a "pattern of poor judgments." Worden also filed a complaint against Case, alleging he helped his wife operate an aviation-related business called Turbo Way on county time. The commission postponed a decision on that matter until next month. The county audit concluded that Russell used the hangar space for about a month to store a boat and other personal belongings while he was between houses. He later apologized in writing and paid $217.82 for a month�s rent. In contrast to the Russell case, ethics staff previously concluded the Baldwin complaint lacked merit and recommended the commission dismiss. According to an ethics report, an airport maintenance employee took two hours off to repair the heat pump/air conditioning unit at Baldwin�s home. Baldwin paid the employee $10 cash. The employee, David Dushane, told an ethics investigator that he volunteered to do the work after overhearing Baldwin telling others in the office about having to wait two weeks for repairs. Worden, a financial consultant from Eagle Point, attended the hearing Friday in Salem. He was furious with the commission for "letting Baldwin off the hook." "The bottom line is that he used his position to get his air conditioner fixed for only $10," Worden complained, saying he paid about $200 to have the unit at his own home fixed about three years ago. Worden was also upset that the commission failed to let him address the Baldwin complaint during the meeting. Previously, ethics staff have refused to investigate new complaints Worden filed against Dushane and another airport employee who was paid for vacation time she had not earned. Hearn said it was "human error" that Worden was not called on, per a signup sheet. Even so, he argued that the commission would not have allowed Worden to make a detailed presentation. "It�s not like a lawsuit," Hearn said. "Complainants don�t really have a standing. Once the case is filed it belongs to the commission, and the commission has the discretion to dispose of it." Ethics staff earlier dismissed a complaint against Dawn Neff, a former airport secretary whose allegations of mismanagement triggered the county audit. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA