The Albany County Legislature’s Mass Transit Committee took up the airport's capital program plan Wednesday night. But there was an elephant in the room.
The Albany County Airport Authority submitted its 2025-2029 Capital Program Plan to the legislature earlier in August. The Mass Transit Committee, chaired by 14th district Democratic legislator Alison McLean Lane, had invited the airport CFO to present the plan and field questions about it. Michael Zonsius did show up, accompanied by beleaguered CEO Phil Calderone.
"It's an honor to be here with all of you. We appreciate the opportunity," Calderone said.
The Albany County Airport Authority Board just fired Calderone, reportedly as part of a ploy to install County Executive Dan McCoy in the job, telling Calderone, a former deputy county executive under McCoy, that his five-year contract will not be renewed when it expires December 1st. The story was broken by the Times Union.
McCoy, a Democrat, now says he is committed to serving his fourth four-year term as county executive. Calderone and Zonsius presented the airport's money plan.
The mood became acrimonious. McLean Lane bristled when Calderone interjected a reference to a survey.
"We also continue to monitor on a daily basis passenger satisfaction through program designed by Airports Council International, our last survey indicated between good and excellent, 99% passenger satisfaction," said Calderone.
“Mr. Calderone, I appreciate this, but what I would like to move on to is the capital plan," McLean Lane said.
Calderone did move on, detailing an ambitious $283 million plan. When the presentation concluded, Republican District 21 legislator Jennifer Whalen complimented Calderone's accomplishments as CEO and lauded his plan, before asking:
"I would like to know, basically, since you've been turned into somewhat of a lame duck by having your contract not extended, who is going to oversee all of this? I mean, you have a lot of institutional history," Whalen said, "I understand you have a good staff, but I am not... just this is $283 million who's going to be running this?"
McLean Lane: "Legislator Whalen, I said at the beginning of this meeting..."
Whalen: "It's relevant."
"It's not."
"How is it not relevant?"
"It's not relevant. They are presenting the capital plan..."
"OK, but I'm not going to end..."
"I'm sorry, but if there's no expert choice..."
Things went downhill from there. Republican Deputy Minority leader Paul Burgdorf represents the 23rd District.
“The meeting we had here today was the first sign of us, not the first sign, multiple signs, of us turning into a banana republic in Albany County. Legislators weren't allowed to speak. They weren't allowed to ask questions, because it doesn't serve the leadership of the legislature. Well, they want this to go away, and I'm hoping that Mr. Calderone will be retained. And I think it's extremely unfortunate that the politics of Albany County have really devolved into a point where they are shutting down the legislature from discussing very important issues,” said Burgdorf.
Deputy Majority Leader Gil Ethier says the meeting shouldn't have been cut short.
“That makes it look like a bigger circus. I believe that some of the questions they were going to ask could have been political questions. That's the bad part. But the good part is they still have the right to speak out, and they should have kept the meeting going longer… Phil did a great job. He brought the airport to a different level, a higher level. We had all good CEOs in the past, but he brought it to a higher level, and did a great job for us. And hopefully there's a way he could stay on,” Ethier said.
Calderone did not speak with reporters.
Last week, amid concerns raised about the airport's leadership transition and the need for oversight, a bi-partisan group of 16 legislators wrote to the airport board asking that Calderone’s contract be extended.
Prior to the 40-minute meeting, the board sent legislators a letter, saying it reached out to Calderone "through a trusted intermediary, to try to arrange a meeting to discuss potential paths forward, which could include a temporary extension of his tenure to allow him to continue to play a role in the completion of the [$100 million dollar] expansion project. That endeavor was flat out rejected by Mr. Calderone. The Board is continuing to proceed with its national search for the Authority’s next CEO." It also said tensions had been brewing with the CEO for some time and stood by the decision to fire him.
The committee approved the Capital Program Plan by a vote of 4 to 3.
