Paul Rinaldi will be the next president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association after a runoff vote. Rinaldi narrowly beat former Executive Vice President Ruth Marlin with a 53 percent majority in the vote. Rinaldi gathered a total of 5,023 votes. He will take over as president from Patrick Forrey on Oct. 19. “We’ve had a difficult last three years, but we’ve persevered. I look forward to ensuring that our members always have a voice and, just as important, that the FAA always listens.”
The runoff was hotly contested, with former NATCA President John Carr vigorously promoting Marlin (his former second-in-command); on his blog The Main Bang he apologized to Marlin if “her association with me damaged her chances for election.” There were 9,446 ballots cast in the runoff race, more than 2,500 more than in the initial election.
