An effort to have the Warren Field Airport Advisory Board reconsider its recommendation to change the name of Warren Field Airport failed to get off the ground Friday during a called meeting of the board.

During its Feb. 10 meeting, the board voted 3-1 to recommend the City Council rename the city-owned airport as Washington-Warren Field. During its meeting Monday, the council is scheduled to consider renaming the airport.

At the Feb.10 meeting, board member Clifford Roy Whichard made the motion to recommend the name be changed, and board member Patrick Nash seconded that motion. Whichard, Nash and fellow board member John J. “Jack” Hill voted for the motion. Board Chairman Gilbert Alligood voted against it. Board member Trent Tetterton did not attend that meeting.

Reconsideration of that motion was the only item on the board’s agenda for Friday’s meeting, which was called by Alligood. To reconsider that motion, one of the board members who voted for the motion would have had to make a motion to reconsider the board’s Feb. 10 decision. That did not happen.

“May I make a comment? I agree with your point that until there is some open discussion, I don’t think there’s cause for anybody to make a motion to reconsider,” Tetterton said during the brief meeting. “The prior discussion would be that which would, in fact, justify having a motion to reconsider. So, right now we’re operating in the blind, and there is no reason to reconsider.”

“To start a discussion without a motion on the floor would not be in compliance with Roberts Rules of Order,” Alligood said. “You could have a motion to suspend the rules. I don’t think we need to go there. … At this point, gently make some discussion. I would permit that and then see if we want to make a motion to reconsider the motion.”

Nash said as far as he’s concerned, “the discussion took place previously.”

Nash said he informed fellow board members by email that he had a lengthy discussion with Lindsay Carter Warren Jr., the son of the man for whom the airport is named. Nash said the Warren family preferred having Lindsay Carter Warren Sr.’s name associated with the airport. The elder Warren was a North Carolina congressman born in Washington. Warren served eight terms as a congressman. He resigned from Congress in 1940, after first being elected in 1925, to serve as comptroller general of the United States. He also served several terms as a member of the N.C. House of Representatives, before and after congressional terms.

“I think that they are rather perplexed why the name would be removed — or the potential of the Warren name being removed from this facility would happen. I tend to agree with them,” Nash said.

“I have no real passion either way,” Tetterton said, adding that he understood the sensitivity of the issue of renaming the airport.

Tetterton asked if there was a concern about not having the word “airport” included in the recommended new name.

“From my perspective since we had that (Feb. 10) meeting, the only conversations I’ve had with anyone that had any comments on it wanted to have the name remain ‘airport.’ So, Washington Warren Airport rather than (Washington-Warren Field) and that’s the primary consideration,” Alligood said.

“I still like the name ‘field,’” Whichard said.

Tetterton said a name such as Washington-Warren Field could result in some people believing that is the name of a soccer field instead of an airport.

After a little more discussion, Whichard made a motion to adjourn the meeting, apparently in an attempt to prevent a motion to reconsider the board’s decision from being made. That motion failed when three board members voted against it. After no motion to reconsider the board’s Feb. 10 decision to recommend renaming the airport was forthcoming, the board adjourned.