MWAA: Local Board Policies Questioned During Public Upheaval

It must be tough to be a member of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) lately.  There are numerous headlines blasting insider deals and lax travel policies.  A former board member has gotten the boot after headlines ballyhooing how she obtained a full-time job with a salary of $180,000 a year to be an “advisor” with full benefits.  The airports authority is adopting stricter travel policies and spending policies in the wake of such embarrassing details as a $9,000 plus ticket for one board member to travel to Prague.  A stricter ethics policy is also being discussed by the board.   Link to the  NBC article:  http://www.nbcwashington.com/blogs/first-read-dmv/Airport-Authority-Setting-New-Rules-168596246.html

The Federal Form 990 informational return filed by most nonprofit organizations, which is open to public inspection, covers every area mentioned above.  Transactions with interested parties, conflict of interest polices, compensation of former board members are all revealed in the public return filed annually by nonprofit organizations.  Good governance suggests the entire board should review a Form 990 before it is filed with the IRS, and during such a process issues such as these come to light for the first time for many board members.   If the MWAA were a nonprofit organization required to file a Form 990, these shady deals and lax policies may have come to light for the board members much sooner, and possibly without all the headlines.