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Council votes to confirm mayor’s airport commission nominee amid questions about process and expired terms
Summary
The council voted on a mayoral nominee to the airport commission and debated how appointments should be handled after many terms on the commission lapsed; the meeting included a reading of the city ordinance and citation to state law.
The Helena City Council on Jan. 28 considered and approved Mayor’s nominee for the airport commission while several members urged a fuller review of the commission’s membership and finances before additional appointments.
At the meeting the mayor nominated Paul Rydell (referred to in the packet as Paul/Paula Rydell), and Miss Davis moved to approve the nomination; the motion was seconded by Mr. Anthony. The council then took a roll-call vote. The clerk recorded votes as: Miss Davis — yes; Dr. Miller — yes; Mr. Ethele — yes; Miss Miller — abstain; Mr. Messina — abstain; Mr. Saint Columbia — no. The clerk summarized the result as “3 yeses, 2 abstentions, and 1 no.” The council chair declared the nomination approved by that recorded vote.
Why it matters: Council members raised concerns that most airport commission terms had lapsed without scheduled reappointments, and several councilors said they wanted the commission to brief the council about its plans, finances and which seat will rotate off each year before the council fills additional vacancies.
Ordinance and state law cited: A council member read aloud Airport Commission language described as originating in earlier city ordinance No. 890 and codified in Chapter 2.52, and cited Arkansas Code Annotated § 14-3-59-103 as relevant to appointments. The ordinance language described a five-member commission with staggered five-year terms, appointments by the mayors of Helena and West Helena, and council confirmation by a three-fourths vote historically. Council members discussed whether that setup had been followed and whether the city ordinance needed updating.
Council discussion and next steps: Several council members requested that the airport commission appear at the council’s next meeting to present its plans and recent finances — councilors asked for a report on recent grants and how funds were used. Some councilors said the mayor’s appointment authority is narrow and that, in practice, the mayor had provided a nominee that the council should confirm or deny; others said they would prefer to hear from the commission before taking further action on the remaining vacancies.
Votes at a glance: The council approved the mayor’s nominee, Paul Rydell, with a roll-call result recorded as three yes votes, two abstentions and one no.
Ending: Councilors agreed to invite the airport commission to a future meeting to answer questions about membership, rolloff schedule and finances; no additional commission appointments were finalized that night.
