Anderson selects CPA to lead the Salt Lake airport

The woman Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson wants to lead the Salt Lake City International Airport has a head for finances — a big part of why she was tapped to replace a man fired amid accusations of wasteful spending.

Anderson said Wednesday that he has appointed Maureen Riley to be executive director of the airport. Her appointment is subject to City Council approval. She would start Feb. 26 with a $185,000 salary.

Riley is a certified public accountant who works as director of aviation services at RW Block, a consulting firm in Orlando, Fla.

She was deputy director for finance and administration for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority from 2000 to 2006, overseeing a $300 million annual operating budget. She worked for a San Francisco airport-consulting firm from 1996 to 2000, where her projects included helping Salt Lake's airport update its fee schedule for airlines and tenants.

From 1989 to 1996, Riley was chief financial officer and treasurer for the Orlando Aviation Authority.

Anderson was traveling Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

"Her extensive experience throughout the airport sector, particularly her tremendous achievements in managing assets and implementing capital improvement programs at the Orlando Aviation Authority, will greatly benefit Salt Lake City residents and all who travel through our renowned airport," he said in a written statement.

Airport board chairman Keith Christensen was also traveling Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

Anderson fired former airport director Roy Williams in October, citing a wasteful $500,000 master-planning effort and unrest among airport staff. Williams had been at the airport only five months.

Riley said Wednesday that she could not speak specifically to the financial needs of Salt Lake's airport, but a general trend in the airport industry is toward becoming "more efficient."

The Salt Lake airport has a 2006-07 budget of $181.6 million. It served 22.2 million passengers in 2005, the highest level in its history. That year, it was ranked the 25th-busiest airport in the country and 50th worldwide.

Riley takes charge as the airport faces a number of issues. Chief among them is US Airways' attempts to force a merger with bankrupt Delta Air Lines, which has resisted the buyout offer. Delta operates its second-largest U.S. hub in Salt Lake.