COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County commissioners on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the hiring process for a new Coeur d'Alene Airport director.

That means newly elected commissioners David Stewart and Marc Eberlein will have a voice in who should be the next airport director, once they are sworn in next month. Current Commissioner Dan Green, who will remain on the board, also will be part of that selection.

Friday was the application deadline set by the commissioners for those seeking to replace fired director Greg Delavan.

Commission Chairman Todd Tondee said the board was in the process of going through more than 30 applications to determine who should be interviewed.

Tondee said applicants could not be interviewed until Jan. 6, at the earliest, and that was just too close to a new board being seated.

There would not have been enough time for the current board to undertake second interviews.

"It's running so close," Tondee said. "It didn't make sense."

He said 33 people applied, with one later withdrawing. The applications came from throughout the country, as far away as Pensacola, Fla.

The applicants will all receive some notice that the process has been postponed until the new board is ready to resume it.

"I have requested on multiple occasions and in numerous meetings" that the process be postponed "in order for the incoming commissioners to participate and make the final decision," Commissioner Jai Nelson told The Press Monday. "This is the common-sense approach I've advocated for regarding the hiring process and I'm pleased that some logic has finally prevailed."