Wayne County Airport Transit Contract Under Heat

Wayne County Severance Scandal Creates Ripple Effect

DETROIT – In a letter obtained by Local 4, First Transit, of Cincinnati, is demanding that the Wayne County Airport Authority revoke its new $12 million employee shuttle contract with Great Lakes Transportation.

First Transit claims it was next in line to negotiate with the airport authority for that deal to provide transportation.

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However, according to a source, bids were canceled one week after airport CEO Turkia Mullin took over. The airport authority voted on Sept. 29 to give the contract to Great Lakes Transportation, also known as Metro Car.

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Two sources confirmed that a person involved with GLT was also a contributor to EDGE Opportunities, a non-profit economic development group linked to Wayne County and Mullin. Mullin was once listed as executive director of EDGE, and there is also record of her saying she was paid $75,000 per year at the position.

Wayne County commissioner Bernard Parker said he sees where concerns about the deal come up.

"Looking at EDGE department there, the county, and you start to see a number of people getting contracts that contribute there, then it starts to look real bad. If it looks bad enough, then I think you have to say there might be some substance behind it," he said.

Parker is also an airport authority board member. He said he will ask Mullin to resign if the board sees favoritism or contracts done without the correct paperwork.

Parker voted for the GLT contract because he said there were problems with other contracts, which is why those were thrown out.