Replace Airport Authority Board Members - And Response

  • Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The public needs to intervene on the absolutely absurd Wilson Air Waste (WWW) at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport.  What this all comes down to is our elected officials have appointed board members to oversee the budget and decision making at the airport, and they clearly do not respect public resources.

 

Contrary to the Airport Authority CEO’s statement appearing in the TFP, this is not complicated, or normal for a business to lose a million dollars, nor sustainable.

The Airport Authority Board members decided to use taxpayer resources to build a private plan hanger that is in direct competition with a privately owned hanger that pays rent and is financially self-sustaining. The government-funded hangers, built by the airport authority called, Wilson Air, have lost a million dollars so far. Why?  There are no incentives to be self-sustaining.  

 

If Wilson Air operates in the red, the Airport makes up the difference. Then, if Wilson Air operates with a profit, they share in the profits. What kind of stupid deal is that for the taxpayers?   This is a business model that no private business would enter into because in application this invites failure, inefficiencies and lack of respect of resources.

 

So, Wilson Air loses money, no impact to them.  Wilson Air makes money and shares in the profit. There are also pervasive conflicts of interest that need to be mapped in this government business deal.

 

In the meantime, the private sector hangars, TAC Air, is competing with taxpayer-funded Wilson Air that does not pay rent and can offer services that lose money.   Free enterprise cannot compete with a government business model designed to offer services that lose money.

 

Wilson Air stores private planes owned by locals on the taxpayers' dime.  How is it the taxpayers’ responsibility to provide storage for private planes and hobby planes?

 

Bottom line, the Airport Authority has operated without accountability for too long. It is time to take a look at the decision makers at the Airport.

 

The taxpayers have greater needs than funding private plane storage.

 

The Airport Authority Board needs to be replaced and break up that too cozy group, and advertise Wilson Air facilities for rent to private operators.  Enough excuses on Wilson Air.  This .gov business is an absolute failure, and I for one am sick of seeing our public dollars fund this private plane playground for a group of insiders with conflicts of interest in Airport business.

 

The people of Chattanooga are not required to go along with bad business deals. Object, and ask your City Council representatives to replace the “de plane, de plane” Airport Authority Board. 

 

There is no requirement of the public to accept mediocrity in government decisions.

 

April Eidson  

* * *  

Ms. Eidson forgot "Boss." 

So her statement would then read "de plane, Boss (Hogg), de plane" and would probably be more correct.

We don't even do those kinds of deals over here in South Carolina. I certainly hope it all gets straightened out before my wife and I move back home to retire in a couple of years.

Jim Earley
Lancaster, S.C.

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