Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority Chairman Tim Fesko said Wednesday he won’t seek reappointment, ending his four-year term.
Fesko, a former GOP lawmaker and Munster developer, handed members of the media a copy of his statement after the authority’s business meeting ended.
Republican Gov. Eric J. Holcomb will appoint Fesko’s successor, per state law that governs the authority’s makeup. That law calls for the governor’s appointee to chair the authority.
In his statement, Fesko praised the airport’s accomplishments including the 2018 opening of a customs facility for international flights.
“All these investments have led to a strong improvement in our airport’s fiscal condition, resulting in the airport’s bond rating receiving a critical upgrade — an upgrade more noteworthy as it occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Fesko’s departure comes two months after Gary Mayor Jerome Prince appointed four new members to the seven-member board.
At its November meeting, Fesko seemed surprised when members, now dominated by Prince appointees, tabled action on the renewal of the airport’s executive director Duane Hayden’s contract.
The authority did not address the contract Wednesday.
Hayden became executive director in 2018 under former Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson. He had been interim general manager for AvPorts, which manages day-to-day operations at the airport under an agreement with the authority.
Hayden declined to comment after the meeting.
At the end of the regular business, new member Millicent Macon introduced a motion not on the agenda directing officials to develop an incentive plan for international cargo. Her motion passed unanimously.
Macon didn’t elaborate on the motion afterward, just saying she wanted more international cargo business at the airport.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter at the Post-Tribune.
