Politics & Government

Report: Rizzuto Out As Airport Commissioner

Vote on appointment of James Hennessey as new aviation commissioner set for Tuesday's Town Council meeting.

Islip Town is making a change in the top administrative position at Long Island MacArthur Airport.

According to a report in Newsday, the Town is set to replace current commissioner Teresa Rizzuto. The agenda for this Tuesday’s Town Council meeting includes a resolution that calls for a vote on appointing James Hennessey as Commissioner of the Department of Aviation and Transportation.

If approved, his appointment would be effective immediately.

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Since March, Hennessey has served as the Town’s deputy commissioner for the Department of Aviation and Transportation, according to a copy of his resume posted on Islip Town’s website.

Prior to joining the Town earlier this year, he worked for British Airways from May 2009 through March 2012. He also served as the airport manager at Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

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Supervisor Tom Croci told Newsday that he wants to take the airport in a different direction and see the kind of progress at MacArthur that Islip residents deserve.

Rizzuto, a Bayport resident, was hired by former Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan in 2008 and remained in her position through the first five-plus months of the Croci administration.

“The supervisor certainly has the right to select people with whom he chooses to work with and I respect that,” Rizzuto said in a written statement. “It has been an honor to serve as Commissioner for nearly five years where I have been associated with some of the hardest working people in the aviation business.”


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