County looks to increase Walker’s pay

Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006 | 7:05 a.m.

Eager to persuade Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker to stay right where he is, county officials hope a pay raise might get him to change his mind about leaving for a private sector job.

Walker, who has managed McCarran International Airport and the county's other airports for nine years, announced Nov. 8 that he would resign Jan. 30 to take a job as vice president and area manager with engineering firm Carter & Burgess.

County Manager Virginia Valentine said airport stakeholders, including representatives from airlines and resorts, raised concerns after Walker's announcement.

"They said, 'We need a top-notch person. How are you going to get someone in here if you are not competitive salarywise? Let's find out how competitive we are,' " Valentine said. "One of the issues that came up was continuity. The continuity is very important."

The county plans to evaluate the salaries, benefits packages and responsibilities of directors at other large airports across the country.

After that, Valentine said, she would ask stakeholders for salary recommendations for the county's top airport post, then will use the new wage package to try to persuade Walker not to resign.

"After I have that information, I do intend to approach Randy again," Valentine said.

Walker did not return the Sun's phone calls.

Walker currently earns $164,083 a year in base salary, but with longevity pay he earns about $190,000 annually.

Compared with the directors of the nation's top 10 busiest airports, Walker's base pay ranks seventh or eighth, depending on how one interprets figures for Denver's airport, which has two deputy directors rather than a single director.

McCarran fluctuates between being the nation's fifth- and sixth-busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic.

Salaries for directors at the nation's top 10 airports range from $160,243 to $309,807, putting Walker much closer to the lower end.

The pay comparisons, however, do not take into account benefits, cost of living or the airport directors' level of responsibility. For example, airlines build and operate terminals at some major airports, while terminals at McCarran are publicly owned and operated.

A better comparison, county officials said, might be to compare the salaries of directors at airports with the most origination and destination traffic. Las Vegas ranks third in that category, meaning McCarran, relative to other airports, sees fewer customers who merely transfer.

Compared with the top 10 airports in that category, Walker's pay ranks eighth or ninth, again depending on where Denver is placed.

Those preliminary figures suggest Walker deserves a raise, some county officials said.

The extent of the possible raise, however, will not be clear until the county completes its study, Valentine said.

Walker's current salary is at the top of the pay ceiling that commissioners have established for his position. Valentine said she would probably ask commissioners to increase that ceiling.

Commission Chairman Rory Reid said he supports attempts to keep Walker on board.

"If we could convince him to stay, I think that would be a good thing for the community," he said.

Walker oversees more than 1,200 employees.

McCarran generates about $324 million in annual revenue for the county through sources such as airline landing fees, concessions and advertising.

McCarran also is a key component of Southern Nevada's tourism industry, giving resort and gaming interests a big stake in how the airport is managed. In 2005, 47 percent of visitors to Las Vegas arrived by air.

Walker has led the airport through a period of tremendous growth, from 19 million passengers in 1990, when he was hired as deputy director of aviation, to more than 44 million passengers last year.