Mojave Spaceport Board Shaken Up in Election

The leadership of the East Kern Airport District (EKAD) Board of Directors, which oversees the Mojave Air and Space Port, will undergo a shakeup as a result of Tuesday’s elections. The official results are below. (I is for incumbent.)

So, what this means, in summary, is:

• Incumbent Dick Rutan was re-elected with the highest number of votes.
• Incumbent Jim Balentine, a 17-year member of the board who currently serves as president, is out because he came in fourth.
• Challenger Allen Peterson, president and CEO of the National Test Pilot School, is in after polling second.
• Cathy Hansen, who resigned from the board last month for personal reasons but remained on the ballot, was re-elected for a term she will not serve.

Hansen’s resignation leaves a seat open that the EKAD board can fill without having a special election. So, it is possible that Balentine could be appointed to fill that position.