NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A former Airport Commissioner Trevor Gilman has been cleared in an investigation into irregularities in the fuel account at Harriman-West Airport. 

 

Gilman, a longtime flight instructor and volunteer at the airport, was dismissed from the commission in the last days of December by former Mayor Richard Alcombright. 

 

On Friday afternoon, new Mayor Thomas Bernard confirmed that the case has been closed. 

 

"It is safe to say he was cleared of improprieties," Bernard said. There was no expectation of any charges or further investigation. He said he was informed of the case's closure by state police. 

 

Gilman had insisted that the accusations were false and that he would be vindicated in the end. There had been several people "on a mission" to attack him and airport management, he wrote in a Facebook post shortly after his removal. 

 

"Some of them have filed numerous unsubstantiated complaints with multiple agencies for every violation you could imagine," he wrote. "I have been defending the Commission and myself personally for almost a year now from these attacks. Not one of them has resulted in any violation."

 

The investigation had been started by North Adams Police a few weeks prior to Gilman's removal from the commission but was then handed off to state police.

 

Gilman had long been involved in the airport's operations and more recently as a flight instructor and manager for the former TeamFlys — all on a volunteer basis. His seat on the commission has since been filled by Bernard. 

 

Practices and policies at the airport are currently being reviewed and updated, most recently the leasing arrangements and fees. Bernard, who ran in part on looking into efficiencies and streamlining processes in city government, said that will continue. 

 

"The circumstances have indicated inconsistent practices in both airport and city controls," he said. "My interest is in how we move forward to stabilize the airport."