Feb. 14—BEVERLY — The Beverly Airport Commission voted Monday night to hire Gabriel Hanafin as the new airport manager.
In a 5-0 vote, the commission selected Hanafin to lead the city-owned airport.
Hanafin is the interim director at Quincy Regional Airport in Illinois. Beverly Airport Commission member Jason Reulet praised Hanafin for his airport experience and his "refreshing approach to leadership."
"I'm really impressed with his skill as a leader, taking into account everyone's perspective and treating everyone with respect," Reulet said.
The commission also noted that Hanafin has overseen a $40 million runway reconstruction and rewrote all of the airport's manuals. Hanafin was not at Monday night's meeting. He could not be reached for comment.
Hanafin will succeed Gloria Bouillon, who resigned as airport manager last October after filing a sexual harassment complaint against John Messenger, the former president of North Atlantic Air Inc., a company based at the airport. Messenger has denied the allegations. He no longer works at the airport.
The airport commission received 20 applications for airport manager and narrowed the field to four finalists. The other finalists were Scott Anderson, manager of the Sacramento Airport security program; William Hamor, a former military helicopter pilot who lives in Beverly; and James Nall, the airport manager at Brunswick Executive Airport in Maine.
"All four of the candidates were outstanding," Airport Commission Chairman Paul Trefry said. "Every one of them is capable of doing the job and doing it masterfully."
Trefry noted that Hanafin must go through the final human resources process by the city before his hiring is official.
Hanafin will take over management of an airport that has seen a large increase in activity over the last few years, drawing complaints from nearby residents, particularly on the Danvers side of the airport, about noise and pollution.
"We're very sensitive to the fact that the businesses on the field and the neighborhoods around the airport have to work together," Trefry said. "We were looking for someone who we thought was going to be able to step in and be a great communicator."
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