A divided Dukes County commission reappointed airport commission chairman Robert Rosenbaum to another three-year term Wednesday, but not before issuing him a stinging rebuke for his past comments criticizing county government.

“I guess there’s no accountability when we appoint people,” said county commissioner Tristan Israel, who vehemently opposed reappointing Mr. Rosenbaum but was outvoted in the end.

Airport commission treasurer Richard Knabel was also reappointed to another term with no fireworks or rebuke.

The county appoints the seven-member airport commission to three-year terms on a staggered basis. Tensions between the two commissions have run high for decades, often over issues of money and control. Mr. Rosenbaum has served on the airport commission since 2014, but recent comments by him criticizing county government colored his request for reappointment to a third term.

Along with Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Knabel, Benjamin Hall Jr. and Joe Jims had also applied for the appointment.

But the county opted for experience on Wednesday, voting to reappoint Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Knabel in a non-unanimous vote. Mr. Knabel received six votes, Mr. Rosenbaum five, Mr. Hall two, and Mr. Jims one (the county process on appointments calls for taking a vote on each individual).

Commissioners fiercely debated the choice. While some issued a sharp warning about the acrimonious relations between the airport and the county, others expressed support for Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Knabel, saying they had brought stability to the airport after a long period of tumult and staff turnover.

“Having spent a tremendous amount of time with the incumbents and seen what’s happened over the three years . . . I think having stability on that commission is worth a lot,” said county commissioner Peter Wharton, who formerly served on the airport commission.

County commissioner Don Leopold echoed the sentiment. “I think that our two incumbents have both done from everything I can tell a good job in terms of their role on the airport and I would fully support our reappointing them,” he said.

But there was also striking dissent, led by Mr. Israel, who voiced deep concern about Mr. Rosenbaum.

“This is not easy for me, I don’t relish my saying these words, but I am baffled at some of my fellow commissioners’ support of behavior that is going on in the past couple of years from the chairman,” he said. “I’ve just never dealt with this kind of behavior before in my years of public service, in trying to communicate and work with somebody else.”

Mr. Israel cited Mr. Rosenbaum’s negative attitude and poor communication with the county as leading offenses, and he blasted the airport leader for his lack of apology during public interviews two weeks ago.

“This individual, during the interviews . . . [did] not walk back from any of that, nor the attitude . . . just the whole thing to me has been very disturbing,” Mr. Israel said.

Commissioner Keith Chatinover voiced similar hesitation, but pointed to the bigger picture.

“[This] is not a blank endorsement as some of the conduct that has happened at the airport and by some of its commissioners for the past year and three years. But I think at this time, it is best that these two continue serving the Island,” he said. “I hope that our position can be agreeable, even if our vote is not because there’s nothing I disagree with you on.”

Commission chairman Christine Todd voiced support for previous airport appointees and the work they have done.

“There are plenty of areas that could be improved further, but the county commissioners have done, in my opinion, an excellent job of appointing individuals to serve on the airport commission that have done the best they can for the organization,” she said.

In the end, a split commission voted to reappoint Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Knabel. In the final tally, Mr. Israel voted for Mr. Jims and Mr. Hall, while commissioner Leon Braithwaite joined him with a vote for Mr. Hall. The rest voted to reappoint Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Knabel.

In brief remarks, Mr. Rosenbaum thanked the commission and encouraged Mr. Jims and Mr. Hall to continue their interest in airport affairs. He made no mention of the allegations or rebuke.

“I just wanted to say thank you all and to reiterate the comment to the other applicants to really encourage them to participate,” he said.