With the summer season set to begin, the embattled Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission met briefly this week to elect new officers and set a short-term agenda which includes a review of financial affairs at the Island’s only commercial airport.

The airport commission has not met since February amid controversy over the appointment of new members in recent months. Two previously posted meetings had been cancelled by airport manager Sean Flynn after a leading state aeronautics official called into question the appointment of three new members to the airport board by the Dukes County commission.

Held in the West Tisbury Library Thursday morning, the meeting was called by a majority of airport commissioners who cited their authority following conversations with a spokesman in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s open meeting division.

Notably absent were Mr. Flynn the airport manager, assistant manager Deborah Potter and airport legal counsel, which has been a constant presence at meetings for the better part of the past year. Also absent was Norman Perry, the former airport commission chairman who was the only current commissioner serving when the airport commission filed a lawsuit against the county commission over control of the Martha’s Vineyard Airport last year.

Present at the meeting were Myron Garfinkle, Robert Rosenbaum, Beth Toomey, Christine Todd, Clarence A. (Trip) Barnes 3rd and Rich Michelson.

After discussion, Mr. Garfinkle was elected chairman and Mr. Rosenbaum was elected vice chairman.

Ms. Toomey, who was appointed to the commission last November, questioned the slate of officers given the events of two months ago when Christopher Willenborg, administrator for the aeronautics division of the state transportation authority, questioned the appointment of three new members to the commission, including Mr. Garfinkle and Mr. Rosenbaum. In a strongly-worded letter sent to the county commission March 25, Mr. Willenborg demanded an explanation for the appointments. The county commission later replied, defending its statutory authority to make appointments to the airport board.

“I just want to put it on the table, to remind everyone, the appointments for three of the commissioners, there is still not an opinion about that,” Ms. Toomey said. “On top of making one of them chairperson, or them voting until that’s done, it puts everything we do at question.”

But Ms. Todd noted that Mr. Willenborg has been silent since the March 25 letter.

“We’ve waited an ample amount of time for an opinion,” she said. “I see no problem with going forward and accepting the three new appointees as valid.”

The vote to elect Mr. Garfinkle chairman was 5-1, with Ms. Toomey dissenting.

“This is done with respect and concern, but I have to vote no,” she said.

There was also a lack of unanimity over the vice chairman position. Ms. Toomey nominated herself.

“I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to research, understand what’s going on at the airport,” she said. “I think that’s been misunderstood as siding with one side, and I’m not. I’m going to stick to the middle of the road. If we have something really important to vote on, you might want to defer to a vice-chair whose appointment is not in question.”

But Mr. Rosenbaum was also nominated as vice chairman, and Mr. Michelson said he thought he was the right choice.

“With all due respect to Beth,” he said, “we need to go in a completely different direction.”

The vote was 3 to 2 for Mr. Rosenbaum, with Ms. Toomey and Ms. Todd voting no.

Mr. Garfinkle scheduled the next meeting for Thursday, May 28, at 3 p.m.

“As a result of our late start, and the fact that our season starts tomorrow, we have a lot of work to do, not the least of which is to start to look at the financials of the airport,” he said. “Our fiscal year ends June 30. It’s our responsibility to become familiar and either approve or not approve a budget. That’s pressing.”

Mr. Garfinkle said he has asked the airport manager to provide information on the airport budget for next week’s meeting. He also asked commissioners to send him requests for committee appointments, and items for the next agenda.