COEUR d'ALENE - County commissioners are wasting no time in replacing the Coeur d'Alene Airport manager who was unexpectedly fired Friday, and some are wondering why.

Kootenai County's Airport Advisory Board met with Commissioners Jai Nelson and Todd Tondee Tuesday afternoon to discuss the "new direction" commissioners want to take in master planning for the airport.

Neither of those commissioners are running for re-election, and Commissioner Dan Green - who has two more years in office before he is up for re-election - was on vacation and did not return phone calls Tuesday.

Advisory Board Chairman John Adams asked the commissioners to explain the "new direction" Tondee mentioned Monday as the reason for terminating former Airport Manager Greg Delavan, who has held that post for 20 years.

"Based on a newspaper article (Tuesday), the county is taking the airport in a new direction," Adams said. "What direction is that? Where do you want us to go?"

Adams explained the advisory board has four planning projects that are underway and they need to understand how the new direction is going to affect those.

"What do we need to be concerned about?" Adams asked.

Tondee said the county is going to need more time on the environmental assessment process which is underway, because a few jurisdictions have asked to provide more input on that process.

After the meeting, Tondee said three jurisdictions have asked the Federal Aviation Administration for the opportunity to comment on the process.

The Post Falls Highway District, the city of Hayden and the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization want to address how the airport's master plan and layout plan may conflict with plans for a Huetter Road bypass and the extension of Ramsey Road.

"But it's really more than one issue for them," Tondee said.

Commissioner Nelson said she didn't agree with Tondee's new direction comment.

"I don't see any change in direction," she told Adams, and encouraged him to continue his efforts to restore passenger service at the airport.

Adams said he had been talking with advisory board members all day about Delavan's termination, and some are concerned about the move.

"Tim Komberec (CEO of Empire Airlines) is concerned about the airport," he said, adding that Komberec thinks Coeur d'Alene Airport is one of the best-managed airports in the region.

Tondee told Adams that "new direction" might not be the right choice of words, and assured him that very little would change.

Commissioners wasted no time in advertising for Delavan's replacement. According to Tondee, the position was advertised on Tuesday in aeronautics industry venues.

He said the application period would remain open until Nov. 14, and then the commissioners would convene an interview committee to fill the position before Tondee and Nelson's replacements are sworn in. One advisory board member may be a part of that, Tondee said, but those details are still being solidified.

That didn't sit well with some advisory board members and two county commission candidates who attended the meeting.

Jim Thorpe, who has been on the advisory board for nearly 30 years, said in a conversation after the meeting that he has been part of the selection committee for two airport managers.

In both cases, Thorpe said the advisory board, which is selected for its aviation knowledge, vetted the candidates and made recommendations to the county commissioners. He wonders why the county commissioners have decided to do that themselves this time.

"They can't evaluate the candidates' airport knowledge," he said, adding he is going to miss Delavan, whom he thought was doing a great job.

"I think we have been very blessed to have Greg for as long as we have," he said. "I think we have one commissioner who is more interested in satisfying the city of Hayden than protecting the airport. I am very disappointed in our elected officials right now."

County commission candidates Marc Eberlein and Dave Stewart attended the meeting, and said they are concerned with plans to fill Delavan's position before the swearing-in of the new county commissioners.

"I am very curious to why this is so rush, rush right now," Stewart said.

"That is what you call a lame duck session," Eberlein responded.