Where did all the airport money go?

Dear Editor:
I’m Ross Beins and I am writing this to refute insinuation in last week’s front-page article about my past performance as a member of the Aurora Airport Authority.
The Oct. 26 issue of the Aurora News-Register presents a front-page article titled, “Airport planning improvement projects.” In this article, regarding the $685,000 airport bond issue, which will soon become a tax burden for property owners, the airport manager, Terry Ott, states: “This should have been done a few years ago, but the past guy (me, emphasis added) wouldn’t do it.”
Later in this article his step-son, Kasey Wessels, a current authority board member, states: “If we would have done this three, four years ago this could have saved the taxpayers a good $250,000.” This is a self-incriminating statement since he was in fact an airport authority member at that   time.
Both comments in the newspaper article are directed at me because these two men won’t accept the fact that I may have been chairman, but I only had one vote and there were five members. The hangar door replacements could easily have been approved by the other four members at any time, had the airport manager done his job and pointed out these defects and convinced even three of the members that replacement was a necessity. Apparently, the delayed assessment of the deteriorating condition of the hangar doors by the airport manager has suddenly evolved into a critical need requiring prompt replacement, regardless of inflated costs. According to Kasey Wessels, the current pricing could cost the taxpayers “a good $250,000” (extra).
When I resigned in 2019, the local obligation of 10 percent of the more than $3 million runway total refurbishment project had been paid for without a bond issue. In addition, the authority had over $400,000 in cash, specifically earmarked to help pay the local obligation of 10 percent of the taxiway and ramp refurbishment project, which will begin next year.
Where did it all go?
Ross Beins,
Aurora