With Airport Director Jeremy Patton leaving at the end of this month, the city has narrowed its list to two finalists to take his place.
After narrowing its list of candidates for the Cortez Municipal Airport director position, the city will host a community meet-and-greet for the final two on Thursday.
Cortez residents are welcome to meet Aaron Payonk and Kyle Sloan from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Council Chambers in Cortez City Hall, 123 Roger Smith Ave. Individuals will be able to ask questions and discuss the future of the airport with the two before they are interviewed by city panels on Friday.
City Manager Drew Sanders will make the final hiring decision.
“We may hire one of them, we may not depending on how it goes,” Sanders said.
Payonk is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is the airport manager for Steuben County, overseeing the Tri-State Steuben County Municipal Airport since 2022. He holds a private pilot license and previously worked as a line service technician and later as a lead line service supervisor at Fort Wayne Allen County Airport Authority.
Sloan, a resident of Dugway, Utah, and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, works as an air traffic control specialist for Jacobs DPG. Previously, he worked as an airline pilot for SkyWest Airlines and as a flight instructor at Utah State University.
Sanders said the comment cards provided for community members at the event will be crucial to his decision. The purpose of the meet-and-greet is for residents to share their thoughts.
“It is a chance for the community to come in to provide their input on the individuals we’ve selected as finalists,” Sanders said.
Whether people who attend the meet-and-greet use the airport is irrelevant, according to Sanders, as the director is primarily a “community position.”
On Friday, after the interviews, the city will determine the next steps in its hiring process.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
