ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The manager of the Delta County Airport is resigning, effective June 3.
Andrea Nummilien submitted her resignation on Wednesday, May 31. She says she is stepping away for personal reasons, including disagreements with recent decisions made by the County Board of Commissioners.
While Nummilien had hoped to continue as manager for at least a few more years, she says she is no longer comfortable being associated with the County Board.
“A lot of the decisions that have been made, I feel, are just going to make things harder in my position and all the county department head positions,” Nummilien said. “I’m heartbroken to leave, but if you can’t follow the direction of the organization you’re working with, it’s time to move on. It’s not because I didn’t love my job or love my community.”
Nummilien also says she would have liked to have a succession plan in place, but the situation did not “work out that way.” The airport will immediately begin the process of finding a new manager.
Nummilien says while it has been a rough run, she has enjoyed her years as Delta County Airport manager. She is also confident the airport will continue to operate well in her absence.
“I’d love to take credit for the airport’s success, but it’s much bigger than just one person,” said Nummilien. “There’s a big collaborative effort between the folks that work at TSA and the folks that work at the airline. Those things will all continue on. I know the Airport Board is going to find a really great replacement, so I’m not worried about the airport being a success.”
Delta County Commissioner Bob Peterson, who is also on the Airport Board, says he has worked closely with Nummilien. He says her resignation came as a surprise because, as far as he knew, everything was “going fine.”
As for Nummilien’s statement that she disagrees with decisions made by the County Board, Peterson says she is “really not managed by the board.” Rather, Peterson says she is managed by the County Administrator. The former administrator was let go in February of this year, and the board selected Ashleigh Young as the new administrator in May.
Peterson says he wishes Nummilien well.
At the time of this post, no other commissioners have responded to WZMQ 19’s request for comment.
