Airport CEO would get big bonus if runway extension is approved
The contract between Chicago Executive Airport and CEO Charlie Priester shows that he could receive lucrative bonuses if the airport wins state and federal approval for a runway project.
As CEO, Priester's primary job is steering a long-term study, for which he is paid $6,000 a month, according to the one-year contract obtained by the Daily Herald.
Airport leaders who hired him last July have said Priester — who also is chairman of a family business based at the airport — isn't pushing a hidden agenda through the master plan. They have dismissed neighbors' claims that a runway extension is a “done deal” and that the study is a charade.
The agreement's built-in incentives, however, raise questions about whether Priester can impartially research the pros and cons of a longer runway. Airport Executive Director Jamie Abbott and board Chairman Robert McKenzie wouldn't respond to those inquiries Wednesday. They also refused to address the terms of the contract, saying they don't comment on personnel matters.
Priester would receive a $28,000 bonus and an automatic three-year contract extension if the airport and its two municipal owners — Prospect Heights and Wheeling — give a preliminary nod to changes to the airport's layout plan.
And he would receive a $250,000 “success fee” if, in the following three years, he can win state and FAA approval of a runway project, along with commitments to fund the costs. McKenzie did say that none of the parties signed that part of the agreement; therefore, it isn't binding.
Abbott and McKenzie also wouldn't discuss the status of those benchmarks in light of Wheeling Village President Dean Argiris and Prospect Heights Mayor Nick Helmer declaring this week that a runway expansion is off the table.
But McKenzie did say the master plan has many aspects besides runway configuration. Part of the study will consider input from the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as neighbors and Wheeling and Prospect Heights officials, McKenzie said.
“I'm not going to say we're not going to look at the airport and make sure it's safe, that we're not going to follow the recommendations of the FAA in terms of what runway configuration should be or what they are,” McKenzie said. “What I am going to say is that we've heard from our communities, and they don't want us to look at a longer runway. That doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bath water and we say the heck with making this a better place.”
Priester, who didn't respond to a request for comment, reports to the airport board, not Abbott. Priester was given the CEO title to aid him in negotiating with state and federal officials, even though Abbott runs day-to-day operations at the airport, officials have said. Priester is also working with an engineering consultants who have been hired and will get up to $10,900 in the study's first phase.
According to minutes from the meeting last July when the airport board approved the contract, Priester said he believed a runway extension was needed for the airport to stay relevant for the future, and that he wanted to study the feasibility of obtaining a 7,000-foot runway. The runway currently is 5,000 feet long.
The mayors and boards of both towns were present at the meeting, and the mood was “very positive,” according to the minutes. The minutes also say Helmer “stated that he thinks that what has been discussed this evening is a win-win for all parties involved.”
It was at the same meeting that Abbott, who at the time was interim airport director, was made permanent executive director. Chairman McKenzie said Priester would make an excellent mentor to Abbott.
Priester's family has long roots at the airport. Palwaukee Airport was bought in 1953 by George Priester (Charlie Priester's father), who expanded and developed it over the next 33 years until it was bought by Wheeling and Prospect Heights in 1986.