The Heber Springs airport manager resigns in a strongly worded letter to Mayor Kasey Griffin. Brent Johnston says he has lost confidence in the mayor and has serious ethical concerns about how a city-owned hangar lease at Heber Springs Municipal Airport was handled.
The letter is dated Wednesday, October 28, 2026, and copied to members of the Heber Springs City Council. Johnston gave the 60 days’ written notice his employment contract requires, which makes his last day December 27, 2026. He also wrote that he would agree to end his contract right away if the city thinks an earlier departure is in its best interest.
Johnston wrote that “the events surrounding last night’s city budget meeting” led to his decision.
The Hangar at the Center of the Dispute
As part of his proposed airport budget, Johnston recommended taking back a city-owned hangar that is now leased to a private individual. He wanted to use it to store future city-owned tractors, mowing equipment and other airport maintenance equipment. The leaseholder’s name is blacked out on the copy of the letter obtained by ArkansasRadio.com.
Johnston says the mayor received an advance copy of his budget proposal. He claims the mayor “used that advance knowledge to intervene in a manner that favored” the leaseholder’s “private interests over those of the City of Heber Springs.” He also wrote that he believes the mayor contacted the leaseholder before the meeting “to protect his interests and prevent the city from reclaiming the hangar.”
In the letter, Johnston lists 5 concerns about the lease that he says he raised with the mayor several times, and with the city attorney once:
- An apparent conflict of interest in the original lease, along with what he calls the “extraordinary length” of the lease.
- Questions about whether the signature on the lease belongs to the person it should.
- Claims that the leaseholder has been subleasing the city-owned hangar rather than using it himself.
- Claims that the leaseholder already has access to another hangar at the airport.
- Concerns that hangar-use requirements and insurance obligations in the lease were not being followed, which Johnston says could justify ending the lease under its terms.
“City-owned assets should be managed for the benefit of the taxpayers, not for the private financial advantage of favored individuals,” Johnston wrote.
“That Statement Was False”
Johnston also challenges a statement he says the mayor made: that he had failed to answer the leaseholder’s phone calls. “That statement was false,” Johnston wrote. He says he spoke and met with the leaseholder on Friday, October 23, and Monday, October 26, the day before the budget meeting.
“I will not allow an inaccurate characterization of my conduct to go unchallenged,” he wrote.
Claims About an Earlier Council Meeting
Johnston says his concerns about the mayor’s leadership started before the budget fight. He claims that before the last City Council meeting, the mayor told department heads to keep the meeting “light” because of the upcoming election.
“City Council meetings are not campaign events,” Johnston wrote. He says he chose not to attend that council meeting in protest.
Request for Council Review
Johnston is asking the City Council to independently review the hangar lease. He wants the review to cover the lease’s original approval, the relationship between the people involved, the signature, the subleasing, whether the lease terms are being followed, and the city’s legal and financial interests in the property.
“My resignation should not be interpreted as a withdrawal of these concerns or as an endorsement of the continued lease arrangement,” he wrote.
The claims in the letter are Johnston’s and have not been independently verified.
ArkansasRadio.com News reached out to Mayor Kasey Griffin for her response. Mayor Griffin disputes the allegations and provided the following statement:
MAYOR KASEY GRIFFIN’S COMPLETE RESPONSE:
I am aware that the airport manager’s resignation letter has been made public and that it has raised questions among residents. I take those questions seriously.
The letter contains allegations about the city’s handling of a hangar lease. Those allegations are not factual, and I strongly disagree with any suggestion that I have acted improperly or put a private interest ahead of the interests of the City of Heber Springs.
The city has established processes for managing public property and resources, and those processes will continue to be followed.
My commitment is to continue to serve Heber Springs honestly, responsibly, and transparently. I ask Heber Springs residents to consider the facts, my record, and my plans for our community as you make your decision on Tuesday.
Kasey Griffin
Read the Full Letter
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