Bill Gere’s three-year tenure as Hollister Airport Manager ended
abruptly this week two months after he alienated city officials and
many in the airport community by changing an advisory commission’s
recommendation on a planning document without consent.
HOLLISTER
Bill Gere’s three-year tenure as Hollister Airport Manager ended abruptly this week two months after he alienated city officials and many in the airport community by changing an advisory commission’s recommendation on a planning document without consent.
City Manager Clint Quilter placed Gere on paid aministrative leave Jan. 17, shortly after Gere removed a recommended proposal from the airport layout plan to build a new CalFire air-attack base – though officials have declined to say what specifically led to Gere’s leave of absence or exodus.
Gere changed the layout plan between the time the airport advisory commission recommended its approval and the Dec. 17 Hollister City Council meeting at which officials realized the new CalFire base, along with some glider facilities, had been left out.
CalFire for many years has been negotiating with the city on a new air-attack base at the airport.
Quilter this week called Gere’s departure a “personnel matter” and declined to say whether he was fired or left voluntarily. Gere had been Hollister airport manager for about three years.
When pressed whether Gere had been penalized after the incident, Quilter replied, “He’s not with the city any longer.”
The city Tuesday announced the move and a coinciding search for a new airport manager in a statement from Quilter. In the interim, Code Enforcement Officer Mike Chambless will act as airport manager with some help from a contracted management firm, CH2M, according to the statement.
Gere’s leave of absence and ultimate departure came in the wake of critical comments toward him by other city leaders, including Quilter, and airport commissioners.
“The layout plan presented to the city council was different from the one presented to the airport commission, and that’s a problem,” Quilter told the Free Lance days after the Dec. 17 council meeting.
After others at that meeting realized the plan’s absence, Gere admitted to changing it but downplayed the significance of doing so.
“We know why they need a new facility, because the old one sucks,” Gere said at the time. “But we don’t know why they need to move.”
Gere did not return Free Lance calls to his cell phone this week before press time.
In his three years as airport manager, Gere also has had a stormy relationship with some airport users who have disagreed with his decisions, officials have said.
Often dividing Gere and his adversaries was his focus on promoting commercial development at the Hollister airport, said Robbie Scattini, a longtime airport user and former city councilman. Several months before the layout plan saga, some in the airport community had even turned in a petition with 100 or so signatures asking for his removal, Scattini said.
He believes Gere’s ultimate downfall with airport users was a poor communication.
“He had some good ideas and he’s a smart guy, but you’ve got to get along with people out there,” said Scattini, a former airport commissioner himself.
Airport Commissioner Gordon Machado said Gere’s departure is a good thing for Hollister. He also commended Chambless for a high level of production in his short time as interim manager.
“The progress didn’t seem to be there (before), Machado said.
Chambless at Wednesday’s airport advisory meeting told commissioners “now’s the time” to make requests on code issues and other problems while he is focused on those duties.
“I only want to do this once,” he told them.
Hollister now will move ahead with its recruitment of a new airport head. The job’s title has changed from airport manager to airport director, and Quilter said he expects the council to reevaluate the position’s $67,000 annual salary and consider an increase.
