Erie Airport Authority's Board will Take Up Nominations for President on Jan. 6

The Erie Airport Authority's board of directors could soon shatter the glass ceiling.

A four-member nominating committee, chaired by member Pat Cappabiana, has nominated Andrea Zdaniewski to serve as the nine-member Airport Authority Board of Directors leader.

The board will vote on Jan. 6 and nominations for officer positions can be made during the meeting. But if the board follows the committee's recommendation, Zdaniewski would become the first woman to serve as its president — 70 years after the Airport Authority was formed.

"I think she's going to be excellent," Cappabiana said. "She's a very, very intelligent young lady."

Zdaniewski is one of five members appointed by Erie City Council. The other four board members were appointed by Erie County Council members whose districts are outside of the city.

A lawyer, Zdaniewski serves as legal counsel for Erie Insurance Group. She was a member of the 2017 Jefferson Educational Society's Civic Leadership Academy.

In addition to nominating Zdaniewski to serve as president, the nominating committee is also recommending board member Dan Giannelli for vice president; Aaron Susmarski for president pro temp; Dave Hallman Jr. for treasurer, and Marybeth Smialek for secretary.

Zdaniewski did not return a call seeking comment.

"This is important," Cappabianca, 88, said. "We may finally shatter that glass ceiling."

Cappabianca would know.

In 1987, as a member of Erie City Council, Cappabianca appointed the Erie Airport Authority's first female board member, Rita Cappello, who worked for Erie's first female mayor, Joyce Savocchio, at the time.

Women have served on the board ever since, but never as its president. Cappabiana said that might be due to the fact that for a long time board presidents would serve for several years at a time.

Asked why he thought past boards had not appointed a woman to serve as president before, Cappabianca said, "I don't know. I'm not going to say they're chauvinists, but I don't know.

"Usually, when you're board president they (members) keep them for four or five years," he continued. "When I first got on there (board) I introduced a resolution to keep terms to three years, but they wouldn't go for it."

The diversity, or lack thereof, of boards and commissions in government, has been a topic of discussion in recent years.

In August, Erie City Council passed a resolution to establish a "transparent online resource that could provide information to candidates looking to serve on city of Erie boards and commissions, featuring an online interface to apply for, and to find, both current and future vacancies." The resolution also stressed that the city wants to "further its commitment to expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion in government."

Mayor Joe Schember said during his weekly news conference on Dec. 17 that in 2019 a new, open and transparent process led to more than 200 applications to fill 13 vacancies at the time. Now, the city is improving the process. It has compiled all necessary data about authorities, boards and commissions on the city's website, which will be updated regularly. The website details the work of each board, authority or commission, duties of board members, dates of meetings and other information.

"When I became mayor one of my goals was to ensure that our appointments to authorities, boards and commissions did three things better," Schember said. "First, include all parts of our community. Second, provide the knowledge and expertise needed and third, lead those organizations into the future. Imagine the excitement and energy that will grow from a passionate group of volunteers, who with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, have the skills, qualifications and expertise needed to serve."

The city of Erie has posted on its website an advertisement seeking "dedicated, diverse, community-oriented people with the requisite skills and expertise to serve the residents of Erie in an inclusive and equitable manner." An application portal opened Dec. 18.

Schember noted that in many cases vacant seats have prohibited these volunteer boards from meeting because of a lack of a quorum. A lack of diversity, he said, has also resulted in fewer ideas being shared and heard.

The city has 45 vacancies on 15 different boards and commissions. Board members serve voluntarily. Schember has 21 appointments to make, while City Council has 24. The city has set a Jan. 11 deadline for applications.

Contact Matthew Rink at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNrink.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Airport Authority's board will take up nominations for president on Jan. 6

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