Everett lands job as city's director of operations

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Dec 13, 2002 by Bartlett, JoAnn

SYRACUSE - Charles R. Everett, Jr. is the new director of operations for the City of Syracuse. For the past nine years, he has been the commissioner of aviation at Hancock International Airport. Mayor Matthew Driscoll appointed Everett to the position upon the retirement of Vito Sciscioli Nov. 19. Sciscioli retired after 32 years of service.

Everett says he believes his skills, ability, and experience "matched an opportunity. And it is a promotion." He believes his experience while at Hancock "absolutely" prepared him for this newest step in his career. As the commissioner at Hancock, Everett oversaw the building of a new $50-million airport terminal and a $12-million de-icing program for aircraft, he scheduled annual airshows, and brought in $25 million in federal dollars to install sound-deadening insulation in about 1,000 homes surrounding the airport.

Everett says the decade of the 1990s saw "a reduced airline industry. We get about two-million passengers per year now. The decline was the result of overall reductions in the frequency of flights." He says cargo increased and the airport grew, but it reflects the slowdown in the economy and the outflow of population because of the manufacturing jobs that left the area. Figures for 1987 show 3,174,227 passengers used the airport. In 2001, 1,904,070 passengers flew in and out of Hancock.

Asked if he has plans to continue Sciscioli's focus on economic development, Everett says, "I'm not Vito. I will be responsive to the issues. But the city is more than economic development, and it is more than infrastructure. My focus will be on the operations of the city."

As director of operations, Everett reports directly to Driscoll for all operational departments, which employ approximately 1,600 people. Everett notes that he doesn't respond to each incident, but he does observe the way in which incidents are handled. "I'm a hands-on guy," he says, He reads reports, talks with personnel and staff, and visits sites when possible. The city's budget allocates about $196.1 million for all city operations in 2002.

Everett says he sees his job filled with challenges. "The city is facing budget shortfalls," he says. "There aren't enough dollars for the needs of the city. DestiNY will offer challenges.

"My goal is to prioritize and then to work on the priorities," he continues. "We will then do all we can do with the resources we have. We have to work smarter."

The new director of operations faces problems common to many communities: mandatory regulations without funding, increasing traffic, creating parking places where land is expensive or nearly nonexistent, having a "shoestring" budget for recreational parks, and many other challenges as the city evolves.

A Philadelphia- native, Everett has experience in transportation planning on the ground, in aviation, and in the military. A member for 10 years of the support personnel for the 174th Fighter Wing, "The Boys from Syracuse," based at Hancock Field, Everett says he could be affected by the current world situation. "I am subject to world-wide deployment at any time," he says.

More than nine years ago, Everett served on the city's transportation council when Driscoll was chairman of the Airport Committee. At that time, Everett was responsible for distributing federal dollars in the local transportation system. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he also worked for the engineering firm Gannett and Fleming of Harrisburg, Pa.

Everett's replacement at Hancock International Airport is Anthony Mancuso, formerly in the Department of Assessment. Mancuso is a 26-year employee of the city.