December 1, 2005 - December 14, 2005

Michael Glusac

The gavel has been passed to a new chairman of the Wayne County Airport Authority board.

Last year’s Vice Chairman Michael Glusac last month was elevated by his fellow board members to chair of the Authority for the coming year.

The WCAA operates Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Willow Run Airport (YIP). Secretary David Treadwell is the new vice chairman and board member James Settles, Jr. is the new secretary.

Passing the gavel to Glusac was outgoing Chairwoman Vernice Davis Anthony. Glusac has been a WCAA board member since the inception of the Authority, which was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in August 2002.

A senior advisor to Detroit Renaissance from 1997 to 2005, Glusac served as the organization’s chairman in 1995 and 1996. Detroit Renaissance is a non-profit committed to enhancing the economic development of Detroit and southeast Michigan. While vice president of government affairs for Chrysler Corp., Glusac worked with all levels of government to develop the Chrysler World Headquarters in Auburn Hills and the Jefferson Avenue North Assembly Plant in Detroit. He also served as executive director of SEMCOG for eight years and was Detroit Mayor Roman Gribbs’ corporation counsel from 1970 to 1974.

An attorney with a juris doctorate from Wayne State University Law School, Glusac also served as a mayor and councilman for the City of Highland Park, as chairman of the Metropolitan Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau, president of the Michigan Municipal League and has been inducted into the International Institute Hall of Fame.

“I look forward to working closely with an excellent airport management team and truly dedicated fellow board members to continue the expansion and modernization of both Detroit Metropolitan and Willow Run Airports,” Glusac said.

Much was accomplished during the one-year tenure of Davis Anthony. Two airlines, Air France and Frontier, began serving Detroit, and a third, AirTran, announced it will begin service in November; while longtime carriers Northwest, Spirit, USAirways and Delta all added nonstop destinations. Spirit added its first-ever, scheduled, international route to Cancun.

A $507 million bond sale will help to finance new projects, including the new 26-gate north terminal. Labor agreements were successfully negotiated with seven of WCAA’s 11 labor unions. In March, airport bonds received a credit rating boost from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s.

WCAA’s finance team, concessions program and snow removal operations at both DTW and YIP, all received honors or recognitions over the past year.

“By increasing non-airline sources of revenue, from areas such as parking, shops and restaurants, and by cutting management costs, we have reduced the airlines contribution to the operation and maintenance of the airport by $9 million compared to fiscal year 2004,” Davis Anthony said.

“I look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Glusac, who has been a very dedicated and committed board member,” Authority CEO Lester Robinson said. “And I am grateful to Ms. Davis Anthony for her support of my team and her tireless efforts to improve these two important airports.”

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