With his appointment Tuesday, Larry Schoen became the second member of the Blaine County Commission to sit on the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority.
Schoen's appointment was unanimously approved by the commission at a regular meeting at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.
Schoen, the commission chairman, will replace former County Commissioner Len Harlig, who, after serving 16 years on the authority, was appointed to the new Blaine County Airport Advisory Commission last week. Harlig's term on the authority was set to expire in June.
County Commissioner Tom Bowman serves as chair of the authority, which also includes Hailey City Councilwoman Martha Burke, former Hailey Mayor Susan McBryant and local pilot Ron Fairfax.
Friedman Memorial Airport is jointly operated by Hailey and the county, with the Hailey City Council and Blaine County Commission able to appoint two seats each to the authority.
"The purpose of the two seats [on the authority] is to represent the commission," Bowman said at the meeting. "I can think of no better representative than a sitting commissioner."
Bowman said that if no commissioner had been interested in serving on the authority, the position would have been advertised publicly.
Schoen expressed his desire to replace Harlig after the latter was appointed to the advisory commission. The commission was created to help prepare for a new governing body at a new airport and continue the development of a replacement airport for Friedman.
Like Harlig, Schoen will get plenty of opportunity to work on the development of a new airport, as Bowman gave Schoen his first assignment on the authority: to begin reviewing potential candidate companies to manage a replacement airport.
Schoen's first meeting on the authority will take place Monday, Jan. 4, when it holds a joint meeting with the County Commission. The authority and the advisory commission will meet the following day.
After casting her vote to appoint Schoen, Commissioner Angenie McCleary reminded her colleagues that it's their responsibility to represent the entire commission and to ensure that her voice is heard on the authority as well.
Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com
