Tri-Cities Airport Authority officially up to 12 members

BLOUNTVILLE — And then there were 12. The Tri-Cities Airport Authority officially has all 12 members appointed. However, new member orientation sessions for Aug. 24 and 25 have been cancelled, the airport announced. The last appointment to the 12-member board was finalized Thursday evening by the Sullivan County Commission, a reappointment of immediate past airport board member Zane Vanover. He is a county commissioner and mayor-elect, previously appointed to the airport board by outgoing Mayor Richard Venable. Four of the 12 are new to the board. The cancellations join the cancellation of the Aug. 13 session announced earlier, all because of a lack of interest among new appointees. The full board meeting for the newly reconstituted board will still be held Thursday, Aug. 27, in the new board room in the terminal building. Airport President and CEO Gene Cossey said he will meet individually with new members if they request that. The new 12-member board — of which seven members were appointed by Tennessee officials — will, among other things, elect officers. Meetings are open to the public. The address is 2525 state Route 75, adjacent to Northeast State Community College. As a result of the disbanding of the authority and reappointments under a new state law, immediate past Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Lewis Wexler, who represented Washington County, will no longer be on the board. Nor will Johnson City representative Jeff Bedard, Washington County representative Kenneth Huffine and Johnson City representative John Hunter, a former mayor. The seven members appointed to the reconstituted airport authority by state officials are: • Immediate past board Chair J. Parker Smith of Kingsport and new member Whitney Goetz of Johnson City, appointed by Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, speaker of the Senate; • Three new members: Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy and Jonesborough Mayor Kelly Wolfe, both for Washington County, and Washington County Commissioner David Tomita, a Johnson City resident, for Johnson City, appointed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (Republican Tomita will leave the commission seat Aug. 31 after being defeated in the Aug. 6 primary by Democrat Lori Sukel for the District 10 commission seat.); and • County Commissioner Mark Ireson of Sullivan and Bristol, Viriginia City Manager Tamrya Spradlin of Bristol, Virginia, appointed recently by House Speaker Cameron Sexton. Aside from Vanover, the four others appointed by local governments are: • Kingsport City Manager Chris McCartt, appointed recently by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the secretary/treasurer of the immediate past board; • Todd Henlsey, immediate past authority member, confirmed in May by the Washington County Commission; • Cathy Ball, city manager of Johnson City, immediate past member appointed by the Johnson City Commission; and • Vince Turner, Bristol, Tennessee mayor, immediate past member appointed by the Bristol City Council in June.