Leaving The City To Return To Puerto Rico, Position To Be Eliminated Next Year

The Senior Advisor to the city of Santa Monica for Airport Affairs has announced he will be leaving the post, and his successor will only have the job for a short time.

The Santa Monica Daily Press reports that Nelson Hernandez has announced that he plans to retire from the city October 6 and return to Puerto Rico to be with his family. He said he was already planning the move before hurricane Maria devastated the island last month.

Hernandez said he has already been in touch with FEMA to see if he can work with them once he returns to the island.

His replacement has been identified as Suja Lowenthal, the Community and Government Engagement Manager for the Big Blue Bus, the city's public transportation system. She will start shortly after Hernandez' departure, but will not be in the job for very long. The paper reports that the city plans to eliminate the position next summer.

The position was created in 2015 for the purposes of analyzing public policy, research, federal advocacy, media relations and community outreach on airport issues. It is slated to sunset on June 30, 2018.

 (Image from file)

FMI: Original Report