Aug. 21—ALBANY — Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy issued a statement Wednesday saying that he is "committed to continuing my career in public service with Albany County" and will not pursue the job of chief executive officer at Albany International Airport.
McCoy issued the statement after multiple stories by the Times Union over the past week reported he had been interested for years in taking the airport CEO job. It's unclear whether his support among a majority of the Albany County Airport Authority's seven-member board had wavered as a result of the publicity.
The details of McCoy's plan surfaced publicly last week when Phil Calderone, who has been CEO of the Albany County Airport Authority since December 2019, was informed by the authority's board behind closed doors that his five-year contract would not be renewed.
McCoy's interest in the CEO position set off discussions within the Albany County Democratic Party in recent days about the plan for naming his successor and how it may also result in a leadership shakeup in the county Legislature. But there was also mounting pushback to McCoy's plan as well within the party.
In his statement, McCoy referenced what he said "has been much speculation and media coverage over the last several days relating to my future."
"To be clear, I am neither applying for, nor will I be seeking the opportunity to serve as the next CEO of the Albany County Airport," McCoy said. "My administration has made tremendous progress. However, there is still more work to be done to boost economic growth and create jobs throughout Albany County. The airport's success plays a significant role in our future. I look forward to working with, and supporting the CEO candidate chosen by the Airport Authority Board, to ensure our continued success."
The board issued its own statement on Wednesday, which misspelled Calderone's name, saying that they "determined (the board) would allow the professional service contract with Mr. Calderone to expire, with their thanks and appreciation. Subsequent to providing required notice, which was a private conversation that has since become part of numerous public disclosures, the authority announced it would engage in a national search to recruit its next chief executive officer."
The statements by McCoy and the board were issued the same afternoon that three Capital Region members of the state Assembly, Patricia Fahy, John T. McDonald III and Phil Steck, sent a letter to the Albany County Airport Authority Board about the lawmakers' concerns over the board's decision last week not to renew Calderone's contract.
"While we recognize that the Albany County Airport Authority Board has the authority to exercise this decision and that, ultimately, this is a personnel decision, we have concerns about the future of the Albany International Airport in light of this decision," they wrote. "The airport is a state created authority and is funded significantly with state, as well as federal dollars. We have heard from many individuals throughout the Capital Region regarding their concerns about what the process will be for replacing the executive director and what steps are being taken to ensure a smooth transition."
The group of lawmakers noted that the county airport's transition to what is considered one of the nation's top small airports has included increased flights and carriers as the facility is undergoing a $100 million renovation of the main terminal entrance and checkpoint security area.
"Therefore, it is critical that the authority work in an expedited manner to conduct a national search for a new director," the Assembly members said in the letter. "Implicit in this request is that the authority update the job description to recognize the enhanced responsibilities since a director search was conducted in 2019."
The job posting in August 2019 required a bachelor's degree "in aviation, engineering, architecture, business, law or a closely related field ... and ten years of post-graduation, progressively responsible administrative experience in the management and leadership of a large scale, complex organization or department operations (preferred that a minimum of seven years are in a government setting with major airport or transportation components)."
McCoy, who has military experience and was a firefighter, including at the airport, does not have a four-year college degree. The Times Union reported Sunday that it was unclear if the job posting for the next CEO would eliminate that higher education requirement or be adjusted to allow for commensurate skills or experience.
McCoy last year won reelection to his fourth consecutive four-year term. On Sunday, the Times Union reported that he had asked Calderone to step down two years ago, when McCoy told him that he was interested in moving into the CEO job.
Calderone was informed of the board's decision not to renew his contract a week after McCoy played in a golf outing hosted by the Albany County Democratic Committee. His player partners included Sam A. Fresina, chairman of the airport authority board, and Kevin R. Hicks, its vice chairman.
McCoy has declined to answer questions about whether he spoke with Fresina, Hicks or other members of the Airport Authority Board about their decision to pursue a new CEO.
The board's decision came as they had not informed Calderone of any dissatisfaction with his leadership.
But in their statement on Wednesday, the board hinted that they have had discussions in executive session — which may have violated the state Open Meetings Law — where they had "expressed a significant interest and concern regarding the timely completion of priority capital improvements and expansion."
The seven-member board is comprised of three members appointed by the county executive and four selected by the majority leader of the Democrat-dominated County Legislature.
The other board members are John-Raphael Pichardo and Janet M. Thayer, who are both attorneys; Thomas A. Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and a former campaign manager for McCoy; Steven H. Heider, a retired Colonie police chief; and Sari M. O'Connor, a principal with Albany Consulting Group. (O'Connor, Heider and Hicks were appointed to the board by McCoy.)
The board said it hopes to hire the new CEO by the start of 2025. Calderone's contract expires Dec. 1.
"We are confident we will find and hire a new leader of high caliber for this important position," the board said in a statement, "to utilize labor and employment expertise for this matter," according to the board statement.
McCoy did not deny that he would consider the position if the airport's board approached him with an offer, but he said in an interview last week that he did not know the board intended to not renew Calderone's contract before it was reported publicly.
Two Republican county legislators, Jennifer Whalen and Ryan Conway, both Colonie Republicans, wrote a letter last week to Albany County Legislature Chair Joanne Cunningham, Majority Leader Dennis Feeney and Alison McLean Lane, who chairs the Legislature's Mass Transit Committee, requesting a full meeting of the Legislature to hear an explanation from the airport authority's board about their decision to end Calderone's tenure as CEO.
"This should be a public meeting with an executive session scheduled that all members of the Legislature have access to," they wrote. "The public should be informed about why this happened."
Cunningham said the Legislature has no oversight of the Airport Authority Board and would not micromanage them.
Calderone was named CEO in December 2019, succeeding John O'Donnell, who had been the airport's CEO for 16 years after joining the airport as its first director of project development in 1996.
Calderone, who grew up in the city of Albany, was an Albany County attorney from 1982 to 1996, and then became the city of Albany's deputy mayor under Jerry Jennings. He became deputy county executive under McCoy in 2014.
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