A whole hangar of candidates, ranging from aviators to landscapers, are vying for three seats on the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission.
The six candidates will be interviewed by their appointing authority, the Dukes County Commission, on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19. The county commission is responsible for appointing applicants to the airport commission.
The seven-member airport commission acts as the airport’s oversight body. Although the airport also has an executive director, the commission hires and oversees the director and is responsible for the care, custody and management of the terminal and runways. In tandem with the aviation aspects of the airport, the commission also manages an adjoining one-square-mile business park and its tenants.
The commission has been down by two members for the past nine months, after members Clarence (Trip) Barnes 3rd and Rich Michelson resigned early last spring. While there are normally only two seats open on the airport commission, the county is looking to fill three spots this year.
Richard (Peter) Wharton is up for re-appointment. The other two open spots are vacancies. Terms last for three years, although according to county manager Martina Thornton it will be up to county commissioners to decide whether the vacated seats will become part of the three-year rotation — meaning those terms could be shorter.
The six candidates offer a broad range of experiences.
Mr. Wharton has served on the airport commission for one term, acting as the chairman of its land use subcommittee and serving on the finance, personnel and member outreach subcommittees. He currently works as the director of plant operations and environmental services at Windemere.
The other five applicants are Richard Conrad, John Ensor, Fred Fournier, Geoffrey Wheeler and Robert Zeltzer.
Mr. Conrad is a seasonal resident of Chilmark who works as a property manager for an aircraft management and sales company. He has owned a hangar at the airport for nearly three decades and operates a 20,000 square-foot hangar in Westchester, N.Y.
Mr. Ensor is a retired telecommunications and energy executive who worked in sales, operations and management during his career. He has lived in Edgartown for the past three years and was formerly a resident of Millersville, Md.
Mr. Fournier is the founder and president of Landscope, a Vineyard landscape and design firm. He is an Edgartown resident and has previously served in a variety of municipal capacities, including on the Edgartown historic district commission and as the town tree warden.
Mr. Wheeler is a businessman who has worked for a global aviation consultancy firm and the director of corporate real estate for a commercial air carrier. He is a 10-year resident of Vineyard Haven, and has previously worked as a ticket agent at the airport.
Rounding out the field of six is Mr. Zeltzer, who is a former member of both the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the county commission. A retired businessman, Mr. Zeltzer lives in Chilmark.
Interviews will take place in 30-minute time slots over the next two weeks. Mr. Wharton, Mr. Fournier and Mr. Conrad will be interviewed on Feb. 12. Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Ensor and Mr. Zeltzer, will be interviewed on Feb. 19.
The county commission is due to vote on the candidates at their March 4 meeting. Each commissioner is given a ballot, in which they will select their three choices. The three candidates with the most votes will be appointed, and will join chairman Bob Rosenbaum, vice chairman Don Ogilvie, secretary Kristin Zern and treasurer Richard Knabel on the commission.
The interviews begin at 4 p.m. next Tuesday at the county commission administration building.
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