OGDEN — Ogden-Hinckley Airport manager Royal Eccles has been dismissed by the city and will be replaced by former Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner.
On Tuesday, Ogden City Chief Administrative Officer Mark Johnson confirmed that Eccles had been let go, but said the city couldn’t comment further on the matter.
“We have decided to move in another direction and there is a change at the airport,” Johnson said.
Johnson said Greiner would take over the airport manager position on an interim basis, but was not sure how long the temporary period would last.
Greiner served as Ogden Police Chief for 16 years, but was fired in December 2012 because of a federal Hatch Act violation involving federal grants and his candidacy and service as a state senator.
When reached for comment on Tuesday, Eccles said he couldn’t say much about the situation, other than he enjoyed his time at the airport.
“I was brought in by the previous administration to bring in the airline (Allegiant) and I’m proud to say I did that,” Eccles said. “It’s time for me to move on, but I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience as airport manager. We have a great crew, a great fire department and just great people all around.”
Eccles was hired as airport manager in August of 2011 by former Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey.
In September 2012, the airport began commercial airline service between Ogden and Mesa, Ariz.
The service is provided by Allegiant Air, a subsidiary of the Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Company, and offers flights twice weekly.
The city has said that the service has continued to do extremely well since it opened, with the flights averaging higher than 90 percent of their maximum passenger capacity of 166.
Shortly after the service began, a small group of airport regulars and pilots brought complaints to the Ogden City Council that general aviation had suffered because of the commercial service.
The group said the commercial operation’s impact on general aviation came in the form of tighter security restrictions and regulations imposed by the Transportation Security Administration, new fees for security badges and overnight parking, and a lack of parking.
When the commercial service began, the city council approved new fees, charging $20 to $50 for various types of security badges that must be renewed every year for $10. The airport also began charging $3.50 per night for overnight parking.
Eccles was chosen over 26 other candidates when he was hired in 2011 and was paid about $80,000 annually.
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