Flying High
In my real life, I am a reporter and columnist for the Daily News and have a weekly column of political odds and ends called Tipoffs, that runs on Mondays.
In today's column, I note that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has completed interviews with the three top candidates – all women -- for executive director of the vast Los Angeles World Airports system and is expected to make an announcement soon on his choice.
What I didn't note _ and it struck me over the weekend _ is how far we have come in so short a period of time. When you think of the aviation industry, it's the Chuck Yeagers, John Glenns and Clark Gable movies from the 1930s that comes to mind.
Yet, here, all three finalists are women, Gina Marie Lindsay from Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Thella Bownes, president of the San Diego Airport Authority and Susan Kurland, a former associate administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
And, they will succeed women who have served as the last executive directors in Lydia Kennard (twice) and Kim Day.