ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The manager of the Delta County Airport sat down with WZMQ 19 News to discuss his decision to resign from his position.
Robert Ranstadler took over as Airport Manager in October of 2023, filling a vacancy left when former manager Andrea Nummilien resigned months earlier.
“At the time, I stated that the airport manager certainly did bear some responsibility for the condition of the airport—I believe she acknowledged that—but I was also very clear in stating that she was not the only person,” he told WZMQ 19. “I specifically did not point fingers at the Airport Board because I was new and I wanted to be diplomatic. Now, with the benefit of having a year behind me under my belt at the airport, I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that the Airport Advisory Board is one of the major problems at this airport.”
On Tuesday, Ranstadler informed the Delta County Board of Commissioners of his resignation, as well as the resignation of Assistant Airport Manager Robyn Morrison. He listed several reasons for their decision, noting that he and Morrison had worked numerous 60- and 70-hour weeks to resolve compliance issues with the Federal Aviation Administration. In the months since, he said conditions for management have not improved.
Ranstadler said to the Board of Commissioners, “Collectively, all the issues Assistant Manager Morrison and I have uncovered over the past year are indicative of administrative, fiduciary, and economic decay exceeding anything I could have previously imagined. There are simply too many challenges to negotiate with the limited staff the airport has available while maintaining any semblance of daily operations.”
He says those challenges put Morrison and himself in a challenging position.
“We either continue working very long weeks, not being compensated overtime hours and essentially work for free, or limit ourselves to a 40-hour standard work week knowing that we don’t have enough time, resources, and people to conduct the day-to-day business of the airport as well as keep up with our long-term commitments.”
According to Ranstadler, he approached the Airport Advisory Board this fall about requesting a salary increase for airport management. He says they declined, preferring to complete personnel reviews before going to the County.
“A month had gone by and there was absolutely no progress made on those personnel reviews, which I found particularly frustrating,” said Ranstadler. “I said, ‘You have one of two choices. Either complete these personnel reviews or we’re going to resign.’ There was not sufficient progress made in that area, so I had to resign.”
Despite administrative issues, Ranstadler says positive things are happening at the airport. As of December 1, the airport once again offers overnight flights and same-day service to Detroit from Escanaba.
“We’re seeing a dramatic increase in our enplanements, which is a metric that we use to make sure we secure federal grant moneys,” Ranstadler said. “In general, that’s a great boost for our local economy and local business.”
However, that boost comes with its own challenges.
“A 6:15 departure in the morning with a 10:30 return in the evening makes for a very long operational day,” said Ranstadler. “We have a lot of snow, so that requires an investment of time, materials, people, and there’s a lot of moving parts. Right now, we have a lot of equipment and staffing issues.”
Ranstadler feels his work is unfinished and wants the airport to succeed after his departure, which is set for February 7. He intends to help the Airport Advisory Board find and train his replacement if possible.
County Commissioners Kelli Van Ginhoven and Matt Jensen currently sit on the Airport Advisory Board as Commission representatives. Ranstadler says they are excluded from his criticisms.
“They are new and they’ve brought a breath of fresh air to the board,” he said. “They’re trying to change things quite considerably, which is great.”
At Tuesday’s County Commission meeting, Commissioner Kelli Van Ginhoven made a motion to remove all current members of the Airport Advisory Board through a vote of no confidence, which did not pass. While Ranstadler does not necessarily believe that would be the best decision at this time, he believes action needs to be taken. He plans to propose a rewriting of the Airport Board bylaws to give Advisory Board members a more active role.
“There is some confusion over the bylaws,” he said. “Members interpret them differently. They’ve been heavily diluted over the years to the point that the Airport Board is basically an inept layer of bureaucracy that does nothing to help the airport. The responsibilities of it need to be restructured, and the members need to take a serious look at their commitment and figure out what they want to do for the future of the airport.”
Ranstadler says it has been an honor to serve Delta County during his time as Airport manager.
For WZMQ 19’s original report on Ranstadler’s resignation and more details from the Board of Commissioners meeting, click here.
