A Butler County Commissioner is denying claims that the commissioners have a grudge against a former airport authority board member.

Commissioners voted Wednesday to approve the appointment of Matt Schrauder for a five-year term on the board.

He replaces Ike Kelly, whose term on the seven-person board expired in September, though Kelly continued to serve through last week's monthly meeting.

Kelly is the manager of the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport, a paid position he has held since late 2015.

Commissioners Leslie Osche, Kevin Boozel and Kim Geyer, who took office about two years ago, had requested that the board find a replacement for Kelly, Geyer said. Geyer attends the authority's meetings and acts as liaison to the boards.

Though not illegal, commissioners don't believe it was a sound practice for Kelly to hold roles as both a board member and an employee, Geyer said.

Chairman Harry Boben and treasurer/secretary Bill Giallombardo submitted their letters of resignation earlier this month, citing dissatisfaction with how the commissioners had pressured the board to replace Kelly.

Boben, in an interview Wednesday, claimed that the commissioners wanted to get Kelly off the board and they were using his job as manager as an excuse.

“My position is, this whole thing was to get Ike Kelly off the board. It had nothing to do with that he held both positions,” Boben said.

Geyer disputed this claim.

“We don't have an issue with Mr. Kelly's performance on the board,” Geyer said.

A full story appears in the Butler Eagle.