BRUNSWICK, GA. | Steve Brian resigned Thursday as executive director of the Glynn County Airport Commission and, minutes later, so did Laura McKinley, chairwoman of the panel that oversee the county’s airports on St. Simons Island and in Brunswick.
Brian’s resignation date will be effective April 12 and the commission awarded him six months pay and voted to use him as a consultant on three projects that are in the offing.
In his letter of resignation tendered at a noon meeting, Brian said the past several months have been difficult because of criticism from those who feel he and the Airport Commission have not performed “as they would like.”
“Unfortunately, many of the detractors have not brought specific issues which the commission or I can address,’’ he said.
Without that, Brian said, he could not help the Airport Commission improve the situation.
“I do not see the situation improving with my presence at the commission, which is the reason for my resignation,’’ he wrote.
The Airport Commission accepted his resignation “with regret.”
Ironically, one of Brian’s most vocal detractors is Stambaugh Aviation, a company that refits and maintains Boeing jets at Brunswick Golden Isles Airport.
Stambaugh officials said they could not live with new airport regulations that gave Brian too much power and that he was a hindrance to their plans to expand their operations.
A number of years ago, Stambaugh went into bankruptcy to reorganize and got behind on its lease payments. Charles Rinkevich, a former Airport Commission chairman, said Brian worked with Stambaugh on the lease payments and retained them as a tenant.
Asked Thursday if he regretted helping Stambaugh officials given their recent unrelenting criticism, Brian said, “No. It was the right thing to do for the community.”
Other tenants, including the owners of small planes and other airport businesses, also complained about Brian’s management.
The Glynn County Commission, which owns the airports, held a public hearing Thursday to accept comments on its plans to change its ordinances that govern the Airport Commission. That meeting began at 2 p.m.
McKinley said she didn’t resign with any animosity, although there was plenty of disdain shown toward the Airport Commission members during the Wednesday meeting.
Her resignation opens up a seat on the Airport Commission for the County Commission to fill with an appointment and perhaps calm the situation and get things moving forward again.
McKinley said she was surprised at the deep animosity that tenants showed toward the Airport Commission members.
“I had no concept of how bad our relationship with the tenants was,’’ she said.
It is critical that the Airport Commission quickly establish a way to carry out projects at the airport especially the $12 million resurfacing of the runway at Brunswick Golden Isles Airport.
The Georgia Department of Transportation and FAA must be assured that the project will be carried out successfully, she said.
“If we don’t have a plan in place they’re comfortable with, they could pull those funds,’’ she said.
Source: http://jacksonville.com
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