Kriese’s of confidence 

The following letter was sent to Assistant Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez and cc’d to The Sheet. 

Dear Ms. Marysheva-Martinez:

I am writing in regards to the employment opportunity advertisement for the position and qualifications of airport maintenance coordinator for the Town of Mammoth Lakes.

I believe that this position has already been “tailored” to an individual who is currently employed at the airport.

My reason for this statement is, to obtain a Wx observer certification, one must be employed at, and sponsored by an airport and must make a certain number of recorded observations per month. My knowledge of this comes from when I was released by the airport in January of 2011. I had already scheduled my testing date for the exam. When I called to verify the testing date and time, I was informed that I could no longer take the exam because I was no longer employed at the airport. First, how did they know I was no longer there? Second, the FAA does not require that MMH have a certified Wx observer on-site. The only reason the Wx observer came about was because in winter of ‘09-‘10 we were having problems with the AWOS and if the commercial flights could not obtain the weather information, they would have to divert or turn around. So Airport Manager Bill Manning decided that Ronald Lopez would get certified first and then I would certify second. This would satisfy airline requirements so if the AWOS became non-operational, a certified Wx observer could provide the information.

Once again, not an FAA requirement.

My question is if somebody at the airport is going to get this position, why is it even advertised? Is this just another example of Manning getting his way?

For instance … Another individual who was in the FBO one day, overheard Manning in essence bragging when former Town Manager Robert Clark  terminated him in 2010. In Manning’s words (overheard), Manning said he told Mr. Clark that he was not going to go down without fight and so he went to see John [Eastman] and was reinstated. Then, the following day we had an employee meeting and Manning said that we were going to hear rumors that he was terminated but don’t pay any attention to them.

During this period, Manning confided to another employee at the airport that he now knew how it felt not to be able to sleep at night.

Also, in regards to an incident that occurred recently at the airport. A belly landing took place at the airport and an article in The Sheet, quoting Rick Poedtke, claimed that a rapid and professional response had taken place.

According to an individual who was in the FBO the same evening of the mishap, persons in the FBO stated that the ARFF person [Poedtke] froze, and then panicked. At which time (allegedly) another airport employee had to “talk him down” on the radio.

Editor’s note: The Sheet did speak to Long Valley Fire Chief (and new District 2 Supervisor) Fred Stump about this incident. It was Stump’s understanding that the ARFF vehicle radio frequency was not aligned with the Fire Department’s, leading to some frustration on Poedtke’s part, but he would not characterize Poedtke’s reaction as frozen or panicked. 

It also would have not been possible for the response to have taken place in ten seconds unless the pilot had radioed in that “he” could not extend his landing gear.

Editor’s note: The ARFF vehicle was on standby at the time of the accident waiting for an incoming Alaska Airlines flight, so while ten seconds sounds implausible, perhaps not. 

It is my understanding that the pilot had no knowledge of the landing gear problem. So whoever supplied the information to the news correspondent was completely inaccurate.

At best, without the ARFF personnel having knowledge of the impending mishap, 45-50 seconds minimum. 10 seconds? No way.

The FAA requires a maximum response time of 3 minutes. That is the time that you have to put on all of your PPE, respond to ‘”midfield” and begin to apply a fire suppression agent.

While certainly within the 3 minute requirement, 10 seconds is a fabrication. (In my opinion) Is this exaggeration because the person involved is the person who is Manning’s friend whom he supposedly has been wanting to work at the airport for “years”?

I am the person who discovered that a former airport employee had been plowing the forest service land and stealing fuel for his truck and his boat.

After an investigation by Assistant Airport Manager Brian Picken, I was deemed correct in my observations and inquiries and that employee was given the chance to resign or be terminated.

He selected resignation.

I still find it difficult to believe that Manning had no knowledge of this employee plowing the forest service land since the loader tracks went straight from the ramp, across the parking area, and onto the forest service land.

My opinion suggests that Manning just turned a “blind eye” to the matter until somebody brought it up.

Manning then claimed ignorance.

I have had two airport offers where I had been given the position only to have the position rescinded – claiming that the entities had a hiring freeze.

Then, calling a day later, I’d find the position[s] to still be open. I believe that I am getting a poor recommendation from the airport staff – especially since I obtained a copy of my personnel file in March, 2011 and it was unremarkable. Then after filing a claim with the California Dept. of Labor, the airport asked for an extension to file their information [job description].

After receiving my package from Best, Best and Krieger, I noticed that there was a six month review that never took

place, and was not signed by me and supposedly took place on my birthday. Plus there was no correspondence claiming that I refused to sign said document.

This “review” basically amounted to by me and supposedly took place on my birthday. Plus there was no correspondence claiming that I refused to sign said document.

This “review” basically amounted to character assassination and slander. Furthermore, employee Ronald Lopez maintains that Manning would not hesitate to pick up the phone after the fact and contact the inquiring party and tell them what he really thought. (Thus deferring liability since it would not be “official”).

So now I am receiving poor recommendations and having 2 positions awarded to me and then suddenly taken away. I have had approximately 7 interviews where the decision was down to myself and just one other candidate after 3 rounds of interviews.

None of those positions were offered to me.

Maybe the other candidates were better than I. But somehow I have a “gut feeling” that other forces came into play. It does disturb me that when applying for employment I am always asked for my supervisor’s name and phone number knowing that they may not be honest.

What I am asking is to be reinstated as the Airport Maintenance Coordinator. I am still ARFF certified until Dec. 2012 and I am still CPR/First Responder certified until Dec. 2013.

As far as being a certified Wx observer, I will have my certificate within six months of my reinstatement date. If not, I will resign.

I will pay for my own ARFF recertification. I will not be asking for any retroactive pay or vacation. I will only ask that my probationary period be over so I cannot be terminated without cause.

Ms. Marysheva-Martinez, what I am asking is for somebody to do the right thing …

Doug Kriese
Mammoth Lakes