Aviation Commission to interview eight candidates for board seat

ALBANY — After debating the method for interviewing candidates seeking to fill a vacancy on the Albany-Dougherty Aviation Commission, that board decided Monday to interview all eight applicants for the position.

Some board members wanted to narrow the list down to three or four candidates, but board member Gloria Gaines said allowing all eight candidates to meet with the board would allow the commission to “cast as wide a net as possible.”

The board seat came open with the resignation of former commission chairman Dr. Bill Mayher, who stepped down for health reasons.

Board member Dr. Frank Middleton said he wanted to narrow the list “so that we can have more in-depth discussions with the candidates,” but he eventually relented to giving all eight candidates “up to 15 minutes” to answer questions prepared by the commission.

“I think we’d spend more time trying to narrow the list than we would interviewing all of the candidates,” Middleton said.

The concession was vital to moving Monday’s meeting forward since only four of the seven members of the commission were present for the monthly meeting. Commission Vice Chairman Bob Langstaff, who also is an Albany city commissioner, said, “If we can’t all four agree on this, we’ll have to put it off for another meeting when there are more members present.”

The vacancy has drawn an unusually high number of applicants. Those vying for the seat are Mark McCorkle, Nathaniel Clark, Leo Bowersox, Ken Hodges III, James LeVaughn, George Buchanan, John Loomis and Anthony Parker.

One other person had applied for the vacant position, but that candidate listed his home address as Doerun, and City Attorney Nathan Davis pointed out that board members must be from Dougherty County.

Board member Keith Fletcher said that, with the loss of Mayher’s experience, he’d like to see a replacement with “pilot experience.”

“I narrowed the candidates down to three who have pilot experience,” Fletcher said. “I’d prefer we limit the number of candidates we interview. Even with 15-minute limits, that’s two hours of interviews. This could take up to four hours.”

Gaines suggested the board look for a broader cross-section of applicants, noting, “The airport has so many different functions.”

The commission tentatively set its interview date for Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. City Transportation Director David Hamilton said Tuesday he’s finalizing some issues with Davis before officially announcing the meeting.

Langstaff suggested, and the board agreed, that each candidate should be given the same list of questions to consider. Each will then make a presentation of up to 15 minutes based on those questions. The commission would then go into executive session to discuss the candidates and either choose one to recommend to the Albany City Commission or narrow the list down for further discussion.

The City Commission will ultimately select the new Aviation Board member.

Before discussion of the vacant board position, Fletcher commended airport officials for the facility’s record of no flight cancellations over the last four months of 2015.

“That’s something we should be celebrating,” Fletcher said.