Cleveland Airport Director Ricky Smith is leaving the post he has held since 2006 to serve as the CEO and executive director of the Maryland Aviation Administration.

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He is the highest paid city official in Cleveland! He has been somewhat of a polarizing figure, but it seems like he has tried to do a good job at updating the airport (airside & landside) with very limited resources and entrenched political interests, in a time of shrinking traffic and economic difficulty. As I see it, his major accomplishments include the reconfiguration of the airfield to meet new safety standards, the Airmall concession program, the remodeling of a very old and tired terminal (terrazzo, new restrooms, Airspace Lounge, charging stations, and the updating currently going on), and the relatively quick, aggressive response to UA's de-hubbing last year. The managing of the parking situation (e.g. tearing down the long-term garage) and loss of transatlantic service (and inability to get a new FIS built) are major flaws in his performance.