City hall will seek out residents to sit on the Regina Airport Authority’s (RAA) board of directors instead of simply re-nominating the one resident who sat on the board recently.
During its Jan. 27 regular meeting, city council voted 6-1 to solicit nominations for the RAA board by advertising in the community. City administration’s original recommendation had been to have council nominate Patricia Martynook to the airport board of directors for a third and final three-year term.
Coun. Heather Eby voted against the motion.
The Regina airport is a public body that is governed by a public board, which really makes it a third-party organization, said Coun. Brian Swanson. He didn’t think it would be a good precedent to simply nominate someone for this position at the request of the board, especially since council did not do that for similar community-based boards.
Swanson suggested council should follow its normal procedures by advertising for this position and seeking out interested applicants. Council could then choose from the applicants while keeping in mind the RAA’s preference for Martynook. He pointed out there are many retired air force personnel in Moose Jaw who might be interested in serving on the RAA board of directors.
The City of Regina governs the Regina Airport Authority, which means Moose Jaw has no legislative power over the board of directors, said city clerk/city solicitor Myron Gulka-Tiechko. Based on the board’s terms of reference, a spot has been reserved for someone from Moose Jaw. It is up to that board to re-appoint the applicant.
“I would think that we wouldn’t have the authority to do this,” he said.
After Martynook’s final three-year term ends, Gulka-Tiechko recommended that expressions of interest be advertised to seek out nominations from the community. This would give council the ability to screen applicants and make the appropriate choice.
Nomination advertisements were posted six years ago when this position opened up, Gulka-Tiechko told Coun. Crystal Froese. It was then that Martynook submitted her name and council recommended her to the RAA board. He reiterated that Moose Jaw has no legislative powers over how the RAA sets up its board of directors.
Mayor Fraser Tolmie agreed with Swanson’s position, saying while he had no problem with Martynook, the question comes down to process. He didn’t think Regina’s efforts to build relational bridges with Moose Jaw aligned with how the board was approaching this appointment.
In a letter to Tolmie, RAA board chair Sean McEachern explained that the RAA invests substantial resources toward the continuing education and training of its directors. This is important since the airport industry is global and complex, involving many serious operational issues.
“Ms. Martynook possesses considerable knowledge of the issues that shape the airline and airport industry,” said McEachern. She currently serves as chair of the governance and nominating committee and has provided valuable leadership to the work of the committee. During her second term on the board, she completed the requirements to obtain the Institute of Corporate Directors ICD.D designation.
“She brings a skill set that compliments the rest of the board and as a result has proven to be a valuable asset to the corporation,” he added.
Once nominated, Martynook would be appointed for her final term during the RAA’s annual members’ meeting on Wednesday, May 6.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 10.
