With flight, destination and airline cutbacks already a regular occurrence, could more bad news be on the way for Erie air travelers with the news that The Erie Municipal Airport Authority has accepted the resignation of airport Executive Director Kelly Fredericks.
It appears Fredricks is getting out while the getting is good! with air service in a state of shambles and huge questions remaining about the much needed, long overdue runway extension project.
Recently Fredricks proposed a $100,000 buyout on the three and half remaining years on his contact as a cost saving measure for the Airport. Chris Rodgers, director of strategic development, will step in and serve as interim director.
This certainly throws into question the future of the runway extent ion. Fredricks has taken a lead role in spearheading what should have been a no-brainer for the community.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
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2 comments:
When contracts are made, those folks who represent the public (or even shareholders) rarely consider performance.
The idea of a contract is to give "X" dollars for "Y" years.
The job description speaks for itself, but there is no clause that you actually do it.
That is why Bob Nardelli can drive Home Depot to the verge of bankruptcy and then, have his contract bought out....in effect, WE will pay YOU to LEAVE, please?
Nardelli thought $260 million should be enough for him to be the first off the Titanic.
If Kelly Fredericks thought he could get full salary as required by contract, we and he would be in Erie County Court having a judge make a mistake on which side is correct....to provide the basis for appeal ad nauseum.
One of two things is going on here:
Kelly knows he done bad and we is broke. Take what you can get.
Or, Kelly has a new job already and needed out of his paltry contract here in Erie. The trick was to get paid to leave for going on to greener pastures.
This guy knows his tricks.
Leaving by 1/31/8 is a tipoff to the start date of the new job fast approaching.
Watch for the announcement of the lucky airport to get Kelly.
They will need the Luck O the Irish, lots of money, and a contract long term.....so Kelly can be bought out anew and move on after the damage in the new locale.
I do not understand the airport authority's logic in saying that buying out Fredericks will save money over the next three years. Won't the replacement director have to be paid a salary commensurate to what Fredericks was getting? In any event, kudos to Fredericks for negotiating an employment contract with a good golden handshake. Hard to understand why the airport authority would have agreed to it, though.
I agree that Fredericks probably has a job lined up somewhere warmer than Erie and, good for him. It seems that he is leaving before the real sh*t hits the fan. It appears that there may be some big problems coming in the next few years at the airport and Fredericks made the right call in getting out now before it gets to be to difficult to manage.
The ETN ran a letter to the editor a couple of weeks ago that detailed the institutional problems that seem to be affecting the airport.
I have cut and pasted as much of the article as I could find online below:
Air controller presents bleak outlook for Erie
Date: January 17, 2008
Publication: Erie Times-News (PA)
Page: 2
Doc ID: 11E3C2C8625C95C8
In response to the many letters asking whether Erie International Airport needs a longer runway, the question everyone should be worried about is who will control the traffic at the airport if it does get a runway extension completed?
As head of the local chapter of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, I can tell you that just three years ago, we had up to 21 air traffic controllers. Today we have 15, and two of them are out for medical reasons, and I'm scheduled to...
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