Alvin Brown continues fight for NTSB reinstatement

Alvin Brown fights for reinstatement to the National Transportation Safety Board after his dismissal.

A former Jacksonville Mayor is still pushing to get back on a board he was appointed to by President Joe Biden.

Alvin Brown, a former Vice Chair of the panel who claims he was removed without cause from the National Transportation Safety Board, got a letter of support this week from Democracy Forward.

The group is already helping with his case, so the letter essentially echoes contentions made in the original filing.

“Congress made the National Transportation Safety Board independent for a reason: to ensure that investigations into transportation disasters are driven by expertise and evidence. The termination of Rev. Brown and the undermining of the independence of this Board does nothing to keep people safer. At a time when transportation safety is top of mind, we should be strengthening, not weakening, the systems meant to protect all Americans,” said the group’s legal director, Elena Goldstein.

Unsurprisingly, Democracy Forward’s 32-page letter of support echoes the arguments Brown makes that he should have been allowed to serve his full term, rather than being dismissed by the Donald Trump administration earlier this year.

In that light, they seek his reinstatement to the board.

“The one-sentence termination email provided no reason for his termination. Within less than 24 hours, Mr. Brown was forced to return his government equipment and ID. He is no longer able to access his office or to perform the duties that he was Presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed to do,” Democracy Forward argues.

Brown, who has become a reverend in recent years, allegedly brought unique qualifications to the board through his “past experiences.” He is said to have led response from the NTSB to mass casualty car wrecks in Austin, Texas, as well as Belle Glade, Florida.