By DK McDONALD
MOHAVE VALLEY DAILY NEWS
BULLHEAD CITY — Mohave County Airport Authority re-elected two board members and added a new treasurer to its governing board.
MCAA Annual General Membership Meeting followed Wednesday’s regular quarterly meeting. Airport Authority bylaws require the seven-member board to hold annual elections the second week of April to elect board members for expiring or vacated terms.
The 18 general members of the airport authority in attendance voted unanimously to re-elect Directors Arden Lauxman and Troy Teske for another three-year term.
The membership also voted to elect retired Air Force B-52 pilot Frank Stepongzi to the board seat vacated by the retiring Director Ray Winslow, who also served as board treasurer.
After board elections, board members elect board officers — a president, vice president, treasurer and secretary — to a one-year term.
William Osborne, most recent president, made the recommendation the board elect new member Frank Stepongzi as the treasurer, and re-elect officers in place.
“I don’t know what Frank’s qualifications are,” said Director and Board Secretary Jackie Wallin.
Osborne said, “It’s a good question and I’m going to let you ask him that. I just want to tell you that I took it upon myself because at this juncture we needed a smooth transition between treasurers — Frank’s is probably the most critical position on this board.”
A 21-year U.S. Air Force veteran and B-52 pilot, Stepongzi served on the MCAA Finance Committee for nine months, and said he served on different staffs throughout the Air Force, including Headquarters airport reserve command and managing, including the funding, bombing ranges.
“I think I’d be a good fit for it, but that’s up to the board to decide,” he said after introducing himself and his background to the membership.
Wallin, addressing Osborne, asked if Stepongzi is “…the same gentleman in the last meeting was in the general membership you told you wanted on the board to become treasurer,” noting she remembered the question because “it violated meeting law.”
Osborne replied that he did not remember saying that.
“Since we all are at this point and there’s no required set procedure for this, I will make a motion that we leave our officer positions as they are and with Frank Stepongzi assuming the role of treasurer,” he said.
The motion was seconded and passed on verbal ‘aye’ votes.
“May I ask why we didn’t take nominations for anyone else to be the treasurer,” Wallin said.
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Osborne replied, “It was a motion, it passed. I think that’s where we are. Jackie, let me put it to you this way, Frank and I had long discussions about this critical transition and for whatever its worth, Ray was fully convinced that Frank is qualified. I am convinced he’s qualified. I spent a lot of time talking to him.”
With no other business, the meeting was adjourned.
