MWAA's CEO Search Ends With Ex-Postmaster General

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced Wednesday that it has tapped a new leader after a difficult selection process and during a time of controversy about the second phase of its Metrorail extension project.

John Potter, a former postmaster general, was selected by the MWAA’s board of directors to become president and chief executive officer by July 18. He is replacing Lynn Hampton, who was appointed interim president in May 2010 and was subsequently named president and CEO. Hampton is planning to retire but will remain with the authority for 90 days to ease Potter’s transition period, according to a spokesperson.

Board chairman Charles Snelling said in a statement that Potter is “the right person at the right time to meet the ­challenges of building” the Metrorail extension.

With Potter, the MWAA closes the succession imbroglio that has flummoxed the authority for months. Earlier this year, the board of directors restarted its executive search after members failed to agree on San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority executive director and CEO Nathaniel Ford as a successor to Bennett.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s inspector general announced that it will initiate an audit of the agency’s management policies and processes next week.

Reps. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and Tom Latham, R-Iowa., requested the audit, stressing that the accountability and transparency of the MWAA and its board are important to ensure the success of the metrorail extension to Washington Dulles International Airport.

Meanwhile, the DOT is mediating discussions between the MWAA and local officials over the future of the “Silver Line” phase two project to Dulles. The 11.5-mile phase two project will include six new stations and will link the airport with downtown Washington.

The authority in April decided to go ahead with the plan to build an underground station at the airport instead of an above-ground station, which would have saved about $300 million. Phase two was initially estimated to cost $2.5 billion in April 2010, but that estimate jumped to $3.83 billion in September.

Local officials in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, which are contributing funds to the second phase, have balked at the higher costs, and are calling for an above-ground station for savings relief.

Earlier this month, Wolf and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who represent districts encompassing the extension project, called for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to mediate the talks on costs. Wolf  also asked the Government Accountability Office to audit the MWAA in March. He has previously said an underground station at Dulles would be a mistake.

The authority issued $1.3 billion of bonds in two deals for stage one of the project. A limited amount of bond proceeds have been spent for phase-two designs and planning, but the agency has not yet issued bonds specifically for that.

The MWAA expects to issue a second round of debt for the extension project in early 2012 with the dollar amount yet to be determined.

In the meantime, agency officials  expect to sell $300 million of second senior-lien commercial paper notes in late August to JPMorgan, an official said Wednesday.

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Transportation industry Washington
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