WASHINGTON – Former Jacksonville mayor Alvin Brown was removed as vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board on Monday, according to Reuters.
Brown, a Democrat, took the oath of office as the 47th member of the NTSB on March 13, 2024, and on Dec. 20, 2024, Brown was appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve as vice chairman.
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Brown served as Senior Advisor for Community Infrastructure Opportunities for the U.S. Department of Transportation since August 2022. From 2011 to 2015, he served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida.
The Washington Post said Brown’s access to NTSB’s offices was blocked Tuesday morning, but that he was later escorted into the building. His biography was removed from the agency’s website as well.
Some safety experts were surprised by Brown’s removal. Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety consultant and former Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB investigator, told the Washington Post that this is the first time in modern history that the White House has removed a board member.
Reuters said since January, President Donald Trump has fired two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission and members of the National Labor Relations Board, Merit Systems Protection Board and Election Commission, among others.