Mark R. Madler
A Pasadena City Councilman was elected Tuesday as the new president
of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.
Chris Holden was unanimously selected by the eight other members
of the agency that oversees the Bob Hope Airport.
He previously served as president from July 2001 to July 2003.
Holden, 44, who works in commercial real estate and also serves on
the Pasadena City Council, succeeds Burbank Commissioner Charlie
Lombardo, who had been president for two years.
Holden praised Lombardo for the accomplishments of the commission
during the past two years.
In that time, the airport mended fences with the Burbank city
government and reached a development agreement over future projects
at the airport, including the purchase of an adjacent parking lot and
cooperation on working on nighttime noise relief.
"We made some movement due to his interest and tenacity in wanting
to work hard," said Holden, who has been on the commission since
1993.
Glendale Commissioner Carl Povilaitis, a Glendale Police
lieutenant, was elected as vice president, putting him in a position
to ascend to the presidency at a future time.
Burbank Commissioner Bill Wiggins was elected as secretary.
Monday's meeting was the first for Glendale City Councilmen Bob
Yousefian and Dave Weaver.
The pair's appointments required the Glendale City Council to
change a city law in June to allow them to serve.
Yousefian and Weaver fill vacancies created by the death in
January of Commissioner Gerald Briggs and the decision by
Commissioner Carl Meseck not to seek re-appointment after serving for
more than 20 years.
At the first meeting, Yousefian said he discovered that the
airport authority deals with more complicated issues than he thought.
"I think each council member should serve [on the commission] to
get a flavor of what is going on rather than hearing it second hand,"
Yousefian said. "They can also get a better understanding of what the
airport does."
The short open session of Monday's meeting included mention of a
letter from Southwest Airlines commending the airport and its staff
for keeping the rate charged to the airlines using Bob Hope low at a
time when the airline industry is still facing tough financial times.
During the brief discussion of the letter, Yousefian said he would
like to see a comparison of rates from other area airports to see how
Bob Hope lines up.
Bob Hope Airport charges 80 cents per 1,000 pounds of landed
weight.
"It is fair to say in California, this airport has the lowest cost
structure," airport authority Executive Director Dios Marrero said.
"That is so probably west of the Mississippi."
He wanted to know what other airports charge for his own
information and to make sure that the airport remained competitive
without charging too little, Yousefian said.
QUESTION
What do you think of the new appointments to the airport
commission? E-mail your responses to burbankleader @latimes.com; mail
them to the Burbank Leader, 111 W. Wilson Ave., Glendale, CA, 91203.
Please spell your name and include your address and phone number for
verification purposes only.
* MARK MADLER covers City Hall and the courts. He may be reached
at (818) 637-3242 or mark.madlerlatimes.com.
