(UPDATE 5:45 p.m.) HIGH POINT -- The High Point City Council has decided to replace its appointed member to the Piedmont Triad International Airport governing board amid the dispute over a move to change the aviation hub's longtime name, though Mayor Jay Wagner said the controversy didn’t enter into the decision. At its meeting Monday night, the council voted unanimously to replace Don Webb, a local financial adviser and organizer of the city's Veterans Day parade, with former mayor Bill Bencini, who also served as a Guilford County commissioner. Bencini will serve a three-year term on the airport’s governing board starting in April. Webb is the current vice chairman of the authority and has served for the past six years as the city's appointee on the seven-member board. Webb told The High Point Enterprise that it wasn’t a total surprise that he wasn’t re-appointed, since he had served two terms. I would have gladly continued to serve. But I understand that the council has a history of not letting appointees to boards serve more than two terms," Webb said. "I feel good about what we’ve accomplished during my time on the authority. We have a good plan and leadership in place. Webb’s predecessor, the late Earl Barbour, served three terms on the authority as the High Point appointee. Barbour died in May of last year. The High Point City Council decision to make a change with its board appointment comes in the wake of a controversial move by the authority to change the name of the airport -- a name change that's on hold in the wake of blowback from passengers and the public. More than 6,100 people have signed an online petition on the website www.change.org objecting to the proposed name change, which is Central North Carolina International Airport. Another online campaign labeled StandByPTI has been set up to pressure airport leaders to keep the current name. But Wagner told The Enterprise on Tuesday that the name change dispute didn’t dictate the decision to change the council’s appointee to the Airport Authority. "Mr. Webb’s term was up, and I just felt like making a change. The naming didn’t have anything to do with it," said the mayor, who made the recommendation on the appointment to his fellow councilmembers. "Bill expressed an interest. The change is no reflection on Don. I think he served us very well. We just like to make sure there’s new blood and a changeover." Bencini, who didn’t seek re-election last year as mayor, said joining the Airport Authority "is a great opportunity to continue serving the city I love." Bencini, who will serve for the first time on the Airport Authority, told The Enterprise that he’s open to changing the name of PTIA. "The words ‘Piedmont’ and ‘Triad’ aren’t particularly helpful descriptors of our facility’s location to those outside North Carolina and the region. Renaming can enhance our airport’s branding, strengthening economic development efforts in attracting new companies and employment opportunities to our community," he said. The controversy over renaming the airport dates from just before Christmas. At a meeting in December, airport leadership rolled out the proposed new name. Airport leaders said the new name would help with national and global business recognition of the region by linking the airport to the state's name and its location within North Carolina. But critics said there's nothing wrong with the PTIA name -- in place for the past 30 years -- and that changing the name is a waste of time and resources. At its board meeting last month, authority members put the name change on hold officially, acknowledging the public backlash to the proposal. The High Point slot on the airport's governing board is one of three up this year. The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to fill a board slot by the first of April now held by Airport Authority Chairman Steve Showfety. The Greensboro City Council also has a slot -- now served by Paul Mengert, the board treasurer -- with a term set to expire in April. Greensboro small business owner Nicky Smith, who has organized the main opposition campaign to the name change, has told The Enterprise that he'd like to be appointed to the airport authority at the next opportunity. pjohnson@hpenews.com | (336) 888-3528 | @HPEPaul - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please continue to share this with your neighbors and friends that feel strongly about the PTI name and #StandByPTI Take a quick survey at http://standbypti.com/survey/ and see the results at the end to what others think the name should be. Thank you for your support in this effort, Nicky Smith