No referendum on Airport Authority in November

April 30, 2008

Board of Commissioner
Defiant to the end and obviously irritated that he was not going to have the support he needed to push for a referendum to abolish the St. Augustine Airport Authority, County Commission Chairman Thomas Manuel made a final, threatening challenge to the airport’s Executive Director, Edward Wuellner … get off the tax rolls by October 1, 2009 or face “very aggressive” efforts to abolish the Airport Authority.

The St. Johns County Commission meeting went on until 11:00 p.m. last night and the remainder of the agenda for “Referendum Day” had to be postponed because of the length of time required to hear all of the speakers.

At one point, Manuel called for the early adjournment of the meeting which drew load moans and scoffs from the audience who had taken time to attend. County Commissioner Ron Sanchez objected to Manuel’s request saying that everyone who wanted to be heard on the airport authority issue should be allowed to be heard at that time.

As the evening went on, another recess had to be called to allow GTV to “change their CD” in order to record all of the public comments.

When Wuellner, who was the last speaker to present, quoted figures from the county audit that appeared to support the management of the airport and contradict public comments aired by Manuel in recent months, co-chair Cyndi Stevenson became noticeably shaken and objected to how Wuellner was characterizing the meaning of the figures.

Manuel used that opportunity to object again; stating that Wuellner’s figures were not true and inferring that Wuellner was not bringing forward reliable information. Sanchez interjected and received applause from the audience by saying that he found the presentation “very informative”.

At the conclusion of Wuellner’s PowerPoint presentation, each of the five commissioners made their remarks. Sanchez made a motion, seconded by Stevenson and Jim Bryant, that a “staw vote” concerning the abolishment of the Airport Authority not be included on November’s general election ballot.

Bryant explained that polls show that the public wants the Airport Authority to continue as an independently elected board. Stevenson seemed conciliatory in her remarks to Wuellner, apologizing for raising her voice but still appearing unsettled with the audit figures used by Wuellner.

Ben Rich commented, in advance of the unanimous decision to adopt the motion, predicting a “5-0 vote”. He said that he had not seen the public polling results Bryant referred to but remarked that he didn’t believe too much in polls since polls showed his political opponent winning in his campaign four years ago for the seat that Rich now holds.

Rich’s comments towards Wuellner were pointed — although not as sharp as Manuel. Rich stated that he’d heard promises in the past that had not come to fruition and said that the airport authority needed to make good on its promise to be off the ad valorem tax rolls by fiscal year 2010 as represented.

St. Johns County press photo

Written by AuggieNewsHound · Filed Under Government

Comments

2 Responses to “No referendum on Airport Authority in November”

Admin on May 2nd, 2008 6:30 am

Comments to the Editor:

St. Johns County wisely decided that no action was needed regarding the well-managed Airport Authority. It is wonderful to see that so many locals understand the importance of the airport as a community resource. I hope they all can spend some time with the others out there, who aren’t aware of the treasure in St. Augustine Airport.

For example, recent letters to the St. Augustine Record claimed airport operations tripled over the past ten years, and that taxes should not pay for a presumed “private” operation. FAA and Florida DOT data show that airport operations have remained steady during that period, and more people every day are learning about the benefits of having a public airport as a vital component of the community’s infrastructure as well as a friendly neighbor.

You know what’s fun to do? There’s a restaurant on the field that is open to the public. Take your friends or family out there, grab a bite to eat, and sit out on their deck for a great view of airplanes taxiing, landing and taking off. There are also a couple companies out there that will take you for a ride in an airplane or helicopter to see St. Augustine from above and give you a first-hand look at your airport’s operations.

St. Augustine Airport has served the area well for the last 75 years. Congratulations to the airport and the county for keeping the community first!

Scott J. Smith
Jacksonville, Florida
Mike on May 4th, 2008 12:13 pm

In an editorial published in The Record today, the newspaper appears to be of the same opinion as many St. Johns County residents — surprise at Ron Sanchez for standing up to Tom Manuel despite the Chairman’s well stated agenda.

I believe that Sanchez showed courage and a willingness to speak his own mind — even if it put him out of step with two others who have overshadowed him during the first two years of his term.

Sanchez: “I personally don’t feel that we should try to rule the independent taxing authorities.”

He delivered his objections without resorting to the tactics some consider to be those of a “school yard bully”; a term coined in an earlier Record editorial about then Chairman Ben Rich.

From today’s editorial:

Sanchez, Manuel and Commissioner Ben Rich have been perceived by many as a voting block. If one votes yes, the other two seem to fall in line. But on this issue, Sanchez clearly had a “difference of opinion,” as he calls it. “There’s no problem with Tom,” he said.

We applaud Sanchez for voicing his own opinion. Nothing less should be expected from our elected officials.

I concur and hope that the next two years of Sanchez’ term will be marked with more independent thinking …. and voting.

Sanchez is in a position to gain a lot of support and do a lot of good for our community; a community that he has been a member of for more years than the remainder of the board added together!

While Sanchez was attending Airport Authority meetings to increase his knowledge, Manuel was having behind-the-scenes discussions with Jacksonville Aviation Authority representatives about interest in possibly running the St. Augustine Airport, if the county got control.

Once it became public, this type of “behind-the-scenes” activity has given some in the county the impression that the Chairman is trying to “sell out” our assets for the profit of others in the region.

There are those who feel that Manuel is “playing politics” with issues such as this because he intends to seek higher political office, and, if that’s true, he may be looking for a broader base of support.