Jennifer "Red Light Camera Scam" Kim wants special airport access (and comments)

Council member seeks special airport access
Jennifer Kim upset she can't go through security when she is not flying.

By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, January 27, 2007

Austin City Council Member Jennifer Kim has a beef with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

She said it's "ridiculous" that she can't flash her council member badge to federal screeners at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, go through the same security as passengers and access the restricted terminal area — even if she has no plans to fly.

Jennifer Kim Council member says her request for airport employee badge was denied.

After all, she said, "it's our airport."

Records show that Kim, who is serving her second year of a three-year term, began asking city workers this month for essentially the same privilege as airport workers, who show special credentials, go through screening and then go to their jobs. Even Mayor Will Wynn and City Manager Toby Futrell don't have that access.

And when city officials told her that wasn't possible, Kim said, she then asked for — and was denied — an airport employee badge.

"There are times I want to escort (an official) visitor to the gate or meet them at the gate," she said. "It's not like I want to go shopping in there or anything or grab a bite to eat."

Kim said she never sought to bypass security screeners and is willing to stand in line, slip off her shoes for metal detectors and send her handbag through X-ray machines, just like anyone else.

But a memo from the city manager's office used to summarize council members' concerns and questions said Kim "thought her VIP badge at our airport would allow her to get through security without going through screening. She has now been told that's not the case and is not happy."

Almost everyone who goes through security at Austin-Bergstrom — or any other airport — must have a boarding pass, Transportation Security Administration spokesman Doug Johnson said.

Parents or anyone escorting a minor can get special permission to go through security without a boarding pass, as can someone accompanying a person with disabilities.

Airport spokesman Jim Halbrook said city officials who are at the airport for official business must register at a security desk in the baggage claim area and are given a visitor pass. A city airport worker then escorts them through security and directs them where they need to go.

Wynn aide Matt Watson said the mayor follows that procedure. Futrell said that if she needs to meet with airport employees, she does so off-site and never picks up or drops off people who are in town on city business.

Council Member Brewster McCracken said he can recall only one time when he scheduled a meeting at the airport. He said he remembers being escorted, but not going through security.

McCracken said that he isn't sure that he would support rules giving council members permission to use their badges instead of having boarding passes but that he "can see an argument for that."

Kim said she thinks it's possible for her to get a special pass from airlines to meet their passengers while still going through screening. However, she said she didn't want to do that because of the wait at the ticket counter.

She said she recently planned to meet a visitor from the Ford Foundation and was delayed because she thought she could go through the security screening line without a boarding pass.

"I didn't know it was a (Transportation Security Administration) issue," she said. "I thought since it was our airport and we own it, and if we are pre-cleared, we could get through.

"Now we just have to go through all this bureaucracy to extend politeness to other people."

tplohetski@statesman.com; 445-3605

Comments

By Richard

Jan 27, 2007 9:33 PM | Link to this

Having reviewed a few of the posted comments, all I can add is More of the Same. She was elected to the city council,not Sainthood.

By janew

Jan 27, 2007 8:22 PM | Link to this

absolutely not, enough exceptions renders security worthless. She should have to go through security the same way everyone else does

By Bobby French

Jan 27, 2007 8:19 PM | Link to this

This is an example of why Margot Clarke should have won this council seat!

By Elias

Jan 27, 2007 8:07 PM | Link to this

She wants to dine on cake while the ordinary citizens eat bread crumbs.

By jim

Jan 27, 2007 7:54 PM | Link to this

it's important that those that propose additional laws/ordinances comply with those very same rules. only when they have to live like those they represent will they weigh each and every proposal as to what effect another rule will have on all of us. i agree many of the changes since 911 stink, but they should apply to all

By betsy

Jan 27, 2007 7:52 PM | Link to this

Ms. Kim needs to stop whining and work on REAL issues that are important to the City. Get in line with the rest of us and get over it!

By Colorado Kool-Aid

Jan 27, 2007 6:57 PM | Link to this

get over yourself lady! you're an elected official, not queen of austin!

By Thomas

Jan 27, 2007 6:20 PM | Link to this

I think that councilwoman Kim has a valid point. I think that city council members, the city manager, and the city mayor should be granted the privelege to go through security with little trouble so they can greet corporate businessmen and goverment officials to Austin in a professional, friendly manner.

By Olivia

Jan 27, 2007 5:54 PM | Link to this

this request it is for personal reasons and she just needs to wait in line like everyone else no special treatment
who is voting for dumb people like this?

By Ron

Jan 27, 2007 5:29 PM | Link to this

Dave: a yokel here--there is a system in place to handle her request, sign in like the mayor and be escorted. Don't need another special system for one person. Yokel out.

Comments

By Ron

Jan 27, 2007 5:29 PM | Link to this

Dave: a yokel here--there is a system in place to handle her request, sign in like the mayor and be escorted. Don't need another special system for one person. Yokel out.

By Jerry

Jan 27, 2007 5:26 PM | Link to this

You know, I don't particullarly like waiting in long lines either. My time is important to me also. Also, since 9-11, she should realize that increased security is an absolute necessity for the security of this great nation of ours. So, if it inconveniences the city council person along the way, it can't be helped.

By Sue

Jan 27, 2007 4:50 PM | Link to this

NO, no way!

By Steve Simmons

Jan 27, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this

From a person who has a badge at the Airport, we are prescreened(by the FBI) and given a badge that allows us to wait in the same lines and be screened so we can do our jobs, isn't all Ms. Kim is asking for; to be prescreened, issued a badge, so she can do her job?

By marvin

Jan 27, 2007 3:34 PM | Link to this

not just no but hell NO

By JLM

Jan 27, 2007 3:28 PM | Link to this

Jennifer Kim is special, special, special. She should not have to wait in line for popcorn at the movies, pay to get into Barton Springs or clean up after her dog. Because she is special, special, special and you --- you are not special!

By Alan

Jan 27, 2007 3:21 PM | Link to this

I have to take exception to the comments that she is starting to act like a corrupt politician, she has acted that way since her election. She obviously feels that rules don't apply to her and she should receive special treatment not available to ordinary citizens. Her supports resort to personal attacks on anyone who does not agree with the view that she is 'special'.

By southside observer

Jan 27, 2007 3:21 PM | Link to this

First there was her championing of the all-important "bring your dog to a restaurant" ordinance. Then she spent city money to help upgrade her personal, self-promotional website. Now she wants special privileges at the airport. Serving or self-serving?

By Linda

Jan 27, 2007 3:20 PM | Link to this

She is willing to go through security, but does not want to stand in line (beaurocracy)to get a pass. "Just flash her badge" as she put it, or throw her weight around would be another way to say it. This is an abuse of her office. I don't believe any of her guests to the city expect such abuse on their behalf.

By Kevin

Jan 27, 2007 2:12 PM | Link to this

To "dave": No yokel here. But I do detect a political toady there. Hitched your wagon to Jen's political star (such as it was) in an effort to get through life without doing any real work, I bet. Typical of political flunkies, you are using insults to obfuscate the truth. Good luck with that.

Comments

By Bennie

Jan 27, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this

After reading the article it seams to me that there is a procedure for this kind of situation as Jim Halbrook states. Maybe this lady needs to get some education on the matter and stop complaining about a security procedure that is in place FOR ALL OF US. And by the way Dave maybe you need to read the article or get somebody to explain it to you. She is asking to byp****security ( bureaucracy as she calls it) (Skip in line) and not stand in line like the rest of us do.

By ceecy

Jan 27, 2007 2:04 PM | Link to this

Ummm.... what's the big deal? So what if she wants to meet someone at the gate on behalf of the City (some of y'all elected her!)? She SAID she would want to go thru security like everyone else. It's not as though it's for personal reasons. I don't see how her request for clarification on TSA policy and City if Austin protocol desrves the attack on her character. Most of y'all responding sound like the whiners.

By Fred

Jan 27, 2007 1:51 PM | Link to this

"Airport spokesman Jim Halbrook said city officials who are at the airport for official business must register at a security desk in the baggage claim area and are given a visitor pass. A city airport worker then escorts them through security and directs them where they need to go."

It's obvious that she wants access for personal reasons. If she were on official city business, she would simply comply with the procedure outlined above.

By rhonda

Jan 27, 2007 1:36 PM | Link to this

are you serious..?? so do People who are in the military that serve our country get special passes like that ?? I think not..she aint that special..

By D. Slater

Jan 27, 2007 1:19 PM | Link to this

No!! She puts her pantyhose on, one leg at a time, just like the rest of Austin. Rules are rules and we are all equal. It appears Ms. Kim feels that she is en***led to be more equal than others.

By dave

Jan 27, 2007 1:17 PM | Link to this

Again, Nowhere in this does the councilmember ask to skip the line.

Yokels: please read the whole article before posting a comment to something you really don't understand fully.

By keith

Jan 27, 2007 1:14 PM | Link to this

How does she think she is so special that she can byp****TSA rules. Just cause you have a little badge saying you're a council member doesn't get you anywhere - then again this is the one that pe***ioned to get dogs allowed into bars and eateries....just another dumb thing for her to do - next thing it'll be "i can drive as fast as I want on Mopac cause I'm a council member"

By Walter

Jan 27, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this

She said she stands in line like everyone else and is willing to continue to - so the question just has to do with being escorted without a boarding pass. I don't believe she wants special treatment - just a more efficient process to do her job.

By John Doggett

Jan 27, 2007 12:44 PM | Link to this

She is clueless. Worst, she is beginning to act like a corrupt politician. It is very simple. She works for us. We pay her salary. She should not have "VIP" rights that her employers, us, don't have.

If she wants to be a special, corrupt politician, she should resign and go live in Chicago.

I'm disgusted.

By Mike, Westlake

Jan 27, 2007 12:36 PM | Link to this

No. This is a great example the arrogance and sense of en***lement that permeates our country. Little wonder our children are growing up to be bombastic self-absorbed brats - just look at the example set for them by publicly elected civic leaders.

Comments

By Mel

Jan 27, 2007 12:35 PM | Link to this

If it really is "our airport" then everyone should be allowed to enter the boarding gate area without a boarding psss. I think not! There is a reason why the security rules are in place. Is it so much trouble to go sign in and get a visitor p****and be escorted as Mayor Winn does? If the Mayor has to do it, what makes you think someone beneath him doesn't? Get your head on straight.

By Dave

Jan 27, 2007 12:29 PM | Link to this

Nothing about what Councilmember Kim says here implies that she wishes to enter the airport and byp****security. The way you frame the "story" it seems like she wants to pop into the airport to grab an overpriced lunch at the Salt Lick or pick up her grandmother at the gate.

By Brad

Jan 27, 2007 12:22 PM | Link to this

No. They can just escort their guest to the security line like everyone else. The days of walking your guest/loved one to the gate is over, we all know that! If a Council member has business at the airport that doesn't include flying they can follow the procedures laid out of TSA. They aren't that special.

By J.R. Vaughn

Jan 27, 2007 12:19 PM | Link to this

The Austin area reaps the benefits every time a major company extends their operations to the city. Meeting visiting execs as they get off the plane is a no-brainer. If the mayor and city manager aren't doing that, they need to take lessons from Ms. Kim. She never asked to by-p****security.

By Christine Rose

Jan 27, 2007 12:01 PM | Link to this

Ms. Kim consistently demonstrates a very unbecoming at***ude of being better than the citizens who elected her to SERVE them which reflects poorly on her and the city.

Next time, she'll be unelected.

By Linda

Jan 27, 2007 11:58 AM | Link to this

If she is given special access to the gate area, where will it end? Everyone should then be able to go to the gates to meet loved ones or anyone else. Security rules are in place for a reason, and she certainly does not deserve any special treatment just because she is a elected official. She might not ever be elected to anything again after acting like a spoiled child.

By Frank

Jan 27, 2007 11:57 AM | Link to this

No. No. No. With my very own eyes, I have seen a British High Commissioner go through the regular line just like everyone else. An Austin Councilmember? Give me a break.

By Kevin Brady

Jan 27, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this

Note to Jen: there is no ruling cl****here. Why is someone from the Ford Foundation more importatnt than my nephew from New Hampshire or my best friends from California? By the way, we all found each other easily in baggage claim and we probably aren't nearly as smart as you and your guests. Also, as a public servant, try leading by example, you might find it very rewarding. Let the TSA do their thankless jobs. And you do yours while you still have one.

By rita williamson

Jan 27, 2007 11:53 AM | Link to this

miss kim should get the taxpayers to fly these politicos in on a private jet that should could then meet at a private airport......such a waste of her time to have to go thru all the same waste of time exercises that us commoners enjoy!

By ceecy

Jan 27, 2007 11:50 AM | Link to this

There's nothing wrong with her request. She's asking to p****thru security, to be there on official business. We aren't supposed to live in a friggin police state.

By Aaron

Jan 27, 2007 11:47 AM | Link to this

What an idiot! Who put that woman in office? She's an example of what's wrong with American politics. What kind of unbelievably inflated ego would allow her to think that she's above airport screening and rules.

By Robert

Jan 27, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

I wish the Statesman would post her picture, that interview was unbelievable

By Jason

Jan 27, 2007 11:31 AM | Link to this

WAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Grow up Ms Kim -- despite what you think, you are NOT better than the rest of us. You are not en***led to get around what everyone else has to deal with. Matter of fact, you should be delayed even more so you can see how it feels to be a citizen trying to get something done by the city governement. Work on cutting that red tape instead.

By Roger

Jan 27, 2007 11:29 AM | Link to this

While I am sure Ms. Kim shares in the level of frustration that ALL of us have experienced with the security screening process, I don't believe she is being selfish in asking the question. I would have truly enjoyed the opportunity to be able to escort my Grandmother to and from her flight recently. Don't blow a simple request out of proportion people.

By Don Joe

Jan 27, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this

Who voted her Queen of Austin?
She's gotten too big for her britches.
But I'm not sure this is top of the Web page worthy information.

Time to vote her and Mike Martinez, both beholden to the AFD Union, out of office and get some public servants in office.

By Fred

Jan 27, 2007 11:19 AM | Link to this

Kim's most recent escapade is just the most recent of a long list of abusses that city employees are aware of. She is under the illusion that she answers to no one and abides by no rules. To the people that admire her I say watch what she does not what she say's.

By CH

Jan 27, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this

Yes, only if she is on an official city function and if done according to a protocal established by the city and the aiport. I am sure the city can come up with a practical solution which helps efficient use of citizens' representative while maintaining proper security measure.

By Robert

Jan 27, 2007 11:01 AM | Link to this

I remember when she first ran for the Council, I made the misrtake of voting for her. this just one of many things i have heard that makes me regret my decision.

By Patsy

Jan 27, 2007 10:56 AM | Link to this

I think Ms. Kim believes she's "all that", and once agains demonstrates her "greater than though" at***ude towards our City. It is an embarassment to the City, and it's taxpayers. She should get over herself, and just follow the rules. What's truly embarrasing is her waste of all our time and money with this silliness for an airport the City owns, and not HER....

Comments

By Anonymous

Jan 27, 2007 10:48 AM | Link to this

Sounds like another Cynthia McKinney to me. Self-centered people like that have no business in a public service job. It's not our job to serve her, it's hers to serve us. She needs to be voted out next round, and this incident will cause her to be discredited and voted out. I hope she realises that this is harming her public image.

By Tom

Jan 27, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this

Looks like the beginning of the common disconnect between politicians and citizens. It's public servant, not public ruler stupid!

By CB

Jan 27, 2007 10:44 AM | Link to this

Whine, whine, whine, me, me, me! Ms. Kim appears to be placing herself in a cl****above those who elected her. She doesn't have time to waste standing in line for an airline pass, and it is so hard to find someone at the airport! Airport security has a job, and so do our council members, let security do theirs and someone teach Ms. Kim what her duties are to the citizens.

By CB

Jan 27, 2007 10:36 AM | Link to this

Sounds to me like Ms. Kim believes she should have priviledges above and beyond those who elected her. She doesn't want to wait in line, she has trouble finding people at the airport, she likes it like before 9-11-whine, whine, whine! Is not meeting a Ford Foundation member at the gate going to risk chances of donations? It would be nice to see our elected officials use their time as well as press time on matters important to us citizens. All this me, me, me really wears a person out!

By rachel

Jan 27, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this

Not only do I think city council members should be able to p****through security without a boarding p****- I think everybody should be able to! I've always liked this lady, and I admire her for speaking up about this issue.

By Pat

Jan 27, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this

City Council members should NOT be allowed to enter the airport without a boarding p****and certainly not without waiting in the security line. They can wait like everyone else in baggage to great visitors.

By Joseph Palmer

Jan 27, 2007 10:25 AM | Link to this

No she shouldn't! If council members are allowed passed security everyone should.

By roscoe

Jan 27, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this

I would like to remind Ms. Kim that, yes the city owns the airport but she does not. As a matter of fact she works for us so her status is not as elevated as she might like to think. There are a lot of things that Ms.Kim has had to realize about the en***lements that her job does not bring. She should get off her high horse and put this new realization in the same place that she put the realization that city funds are not to be used for buying her dog food.

By Steve D.

Jan 27, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this

I don't think anyone should be allowed to go to the Gate without first going through security, Its a security measure thats in place for a reason. With all due respect, just because you're on the City Council that honor alone shouldn't allow you to byp****waiting in any lines. I wish they would allow everyone to go to the arrivel/departure gates again, but only after going through security check points.

By Marc Levin