Posted on Wed, Jan. 14, 2009
Philadelphia's long-serving airport director, Charles Isdell Jr., took early retirement yesterday after a Fox29 television investigation questioned whether he lived in the city.
Isdell, 59, a 37-year city employee who had served as director of aviation at Philadelphia International Airport since 2000, notified Mayor Nutter of his decision yesterday afternoon after being confronted by a Fox29 reporter who had footage showing him coming and going to work from his wife's home in Cherry Hill, according to the Mayor's Office.
Municipal employees are required to live in the city. Isdell was scheduled to retire in July but will leave Jan. 30 and will help with the transition to a new director in his remaining time, Nutter said. The mayor and Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler will now begin the search for a replacement.
"He's a very proud public servant," Nutter said in an interview, adding that Isdell told him he lives in the city but had had family issues recently. "It was very, very clear that he felt terrible about what happened here."
In a statement that was part of a news release from the Mayor's Office last night, Isdell said: "It has been an honor and a pleasure to have served the people of this city, and I want to thank all in the Nutter administration for their courtesy and support over the past year."
Isdell did not respond to requests for an interview.
Nutter said that Isdell, a Philadelphia native and longtime resident who owns a house in the city, married a Cherry Hill woman 18 months ago. They maintained separate houses, he said, but Isdell's wife had been sick recently, and, according to Isdell, he had been spending more time with her in Cherry Hill.
Nutter spokesman Doug Oliver said Fox29 reporter Jeff Cole had footage of Isdell taken over 15 days in December that showed him commuting from New Jersey.
Nutter, who ran on a platform of ethical reform, said Isdell insists that he still lives in Philadelphia. But Nutter said that the city inspector general was prepared to launch an investigation and that Isdell did not want to "create any controversy with regard to our administration."
Nutter said he did not ask for Isdell's resignation or early departure. He said Isdell's leaving would "bring the matter to a conclusion and there's no need to take further action."
Isdell is enrolled in the city's Deferred Retirement Option Plan and he had chosen July 17 as his mandatory retirement date. He is among the city's highest-paid employees, making $163,894 a year, and will receive a pension of about $115,000 annually, according to the Board of Pensions and Retirement, along with a payment upon leaving likely to top $400,000.
"I have appreciated all his time and commitment," Nutter said. "I believe on behalf of the citizens of this city, he certainly took the appropriate action."
Nutter credited Isdell for improving customer service and helping the airport achieve the highest ranking among large airports in North America in overall customer satisfaction in J.D. Power & Associates' 2008 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
Isdell had served as aviation director for two terms in the Street administration. He was acting aviation director when Nutter took office last January and was elevated to the full title in September.
He also survived a federal investigation of dealings at the airport under Street and fund-raiser Ronald White. White died before indictments were handed down, but four people pleaded guilty to charges in a scheme to funnel political contributions to Street though an advertising company that sought contracts at the airport.
Isdell was never accused of any wrongdoing, though one defendant, businessman Joseph Moderski, reportedly told the FBI that White "runs the airport," and that Isdell was told to deal with White as a conduit to Street.
That case was prosecuted by Nutter's chief integrity officer, former federal prosecutor Joan Markman.
Isdell also oversaw a master plan for the construction of a new international terminal, renovations to Terminals B and C, and the opening of a connector building between Terminals D and E.
He has a master's degree in dance education and maintains a passion for dance. "I'm not your classic airport director," he said in a 2001 interview.
He had worked at the airport since 1993. Before that he had stints as a city purchasing agent, acting director of what is now the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, and as manager of the city representative's office.
Contact staff writer Jeff Shields at 215-854-4565 or jshields@phillynews.com.
Inquirer staff writer Linda Lloyd contributed to this article.
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