Friday, January 28, 2011
Little Rock National Airport Public airing
Posted by Leslie Newell Peacock on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 11:37 AM
Give the public a say in evaluating Airport Director Ron Mathieu’s job performance? That was the suggestion of Gen. Wesley Clark, recently appointed to the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, in his first meeting with the commission’s personnel committee this morning.
Clark’s suggestion came up during discussion of the instruments the commission will use to evaluate the director. Commissioner Tom Scheuck thought Clark was changing the subject when Clark asked if the airport solicited public comment on its operations. “We’re talking about evaluating the director,” Scheuck said. “I want to see what the public says about his job performance,” Clark replied.
The commission will conduct Mathieu's annual job performance review at its meeting Feb. 15.
Mathieu told Clark the airport has a twitter site (@LITAirport) and a Facebook page (Fly Little Rock Airport). “We get tweets all the time,” he said, most of them positive. Kay Arnold, chair of the committee, noted, laughing, that it was the commission that criticism was directed towards, rather than the airport. Mathieu said he would compile all comments for commissioners.
Clark also said the airport’s administration should be evaluated on its goals, including its efforts toward getting a direct flight to Washington, D.C., and other good connections. “It’s terrible,” Clark said, that Little Rock now has no direct flights to the nation’s capital. Arnold remarked there once were three direct flights to Washington on weekdays, but Scheuck interjected that it was because we had a president in Washington. Arnold smiled before retorting that no, it was in the 1970s, before deregulation, and “sometime around your 50th birthday.”
Mathieu told Clark that U.S. Airways would like to provide service from Little Rock to Reagan International, if it prevails in a settlement of its suit against Delta Air Lines over landing slots at Washington and New York.
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Comments (21)
Showing 1-21 of 21
I've got kind of mixed views on Clark. But one thing I bet: I'm pretty sure he's not intimidated by Scheuck. And I'm glad to see that Clark's good ole boy network is different than the airport's.
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Yep, Kay Arnold, you're right - the most complaints are directed at the commission, because you don't have the guts to fire a director who is misusing funds to support his son's school, not to mention an overpaid PR/media director who has the nerve to disregard FOIA requests.
OK, it's on. First Tunisia then Egypt, now this?? Unbelievable. You can get rid of Mathieu, but I won't be happy til this includes Stodola.
Way to go Wes. The commission needs to realize that the airport piggy bank belongs to those who pay outrageous parking fees, fines for parking while awaiting incoming passengers, etc.. We need more airline service like it used to be instead of increased fees to make up for the lost revenue. Higher fees discourage airport usage for short haul flights. I now drive to Dallas instead of flying because of the higher fees, long waits to board because of security, delayed flights, and auto rental fees in Dallas. Net, net it takes about 2 hours longer, but the much lower costs and certainty of getting there with my luggage makes the drive worthwhile. Add more long haul flights!!
While a nonstop to DCA would surely be an improvement for business travelers from Little Rock to Washington because of DCA's proximity to downtown and connections to public transit, it's worth pointing out that we do currently have nonstop service on Southwest to BWI (that's Baltimore/WASHINGTON International, for those keeping score at home).
Review by immediate stakeholders may be a new concept for some entrenched folks in Arkansas, but it is an eminently reasonable suggestion, particularly considering the entirety of the issues related to current circumstances. A review process of this type should be welcomed in any institution that utilizes public (or even donated) funds.
Mark my words, those who are afraid of performance reviews are the ones most in need of it!
Mrs. Basil and Senor Bahls are right...this practice should be implemented far and wide at multiple institutions in Little Rock. Start with the good old boys with access to funds not their own who are petrified of the very idea. But don't just stop at the review. Follow through on the results!
Lot of people don't know this but the LR airport director wants some time off with pay so he and the PR lady can come down to McNab and protest our swell new electricity plant.
The airport, not its commissioners, decide if there is nonstop service to DC. That is up to the airlines, and determined by supply and demand. The airlines know exactly how many folks connect to DC. They will add a direct flight when the numbers justify it.
Clark's comment about direct flights to DC was self serving and nothing more.
And Theo, don't be fooled. Scheuck is most likely the very Commissioner who put Clark up. They have been friends for some time.
You mean Washington National Airport? It's not Reagan airport in this household.
Has anyone ever divulged the reason that the airport commission got rid of the previous director (Deborah Schwatz) for the current flunky?
Perhaps, in spite of relative commission virginity, the good general may see the poor management of the airport. The numbers of passengers from 1998 versus expenses simply does not work out favorably when compared to today. Passengers = same or worse today. Expenses = much higher. Employees = many more. How does that work? Where is the justification for the ridiculously higher expenses, salaries, and spiffy travel perks to well.. wherever there is luxury to be had with flat revenues? Oh, I forgot. Let's just screw the traveling public with raising and inventing ala carte fees that rival airlines.
I heard Schwartz ran a pretty frugal ship. I, too, wonder why she was dismissed.
It was pretty obvious at the time that Commissioner Deborah Schwartz was not part of the good old boy network. She appears to now be working at the NLR airport commission as a consultant.
Minutes of NLR airport commission:
http://web.littlerock.state.ar.us/weblink7…
Minutes of LR airport commission:
http://www.northlittlerock.ar.gov/departme…
“The devil himself had probably redesigned Hell in the light of information he had gained from observing airport layouts.” Anthony Price
AirLINES, not the air PORT, determine the service to DCA (there, you dont have to call it reagan) or JFK or anywhere else. The airPORT is a buncha concrete and a bus station for buses that fly. Its a physical plant to run, thats it.
And In Conclusion...Wes clark ran down Slobodan and other Huns, and I agree, he is not gonna pee down his leg when that grumpy old grifter Schueck tries to kick him under the table. Schuek will soon see that his time will be better spent feathering his nest at the Highway Commission, where he can help out the contractors who buy his steel. Go Tom Go.
Sanford, you forgot that they are really in the parking and land lord business. The planes are just the thing that causes customer traffic, either flying in, out, or through or coming to get someone who is flying out, coming back, or in the real old days , just to watch the planes (not many of us left).
Oh, an feather their nests for running the above business. The mafia wouldn't have been so obvious.
louie, your schtick is getting old like the baggy pants comics of yore. Time to get a new one.
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