High Point Enterprise reports the City Council has replaced its Piedmont Triad International Airport Authority representative:
At its meeting Monday night, the council voted unanimously to replace Don Webb, a local financial advisor and organizer of the city’s Veterans Parade, with former mayor Bill Bencini, who also served as a Guilford County commissioner. Webb’s term on the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority is scheduled to expire in April. He’s the current vice chairman of the authority and has served for the past six years as the city’s appointee on the seven-member board.
The High Point City Council decision to make a change with its board appointment effective this April comes in the wake of a controversial move by the authority to change the name of the airport — a name change that’s on hold in the wake of blowback from passengers and the public.
It’s interesting that HPE reporter Paul Johnson ties the switch to the controversy surrounding the name change to Central North Carolina Airport. Again, Webb’s term was scheduled to expire in April, so maybe the council just wanted to get this piece of business out of the way. The question of course is what would Bencini bring to the debate? Does the council believe that Bencini would fight for High Point’s interests and push for another regional name?
This is going to be interesting, because–the way I’ve read it—is the vast majority of letters to the editor in the News & Record suggest renaming the airport what they believe it is— Greensboro International Airport. But it’s important to keep in mind —as the HPE does—that the airport authority is regional and members from outside Greensboro and Guilford County must represent their county/city’s best interests.
