Future of regional airport requires political foresight

Debate in government on an issue of great importance is necessary and healthy. Political infighting that detracts from the issue is counterproductive and merely emboldens the critics.
The future of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport warrants debate that is intelligent and respectful. It should not become an excuse for renewing old political battles or waging new ones.
Earlier this month, there were encouraging signs that the airport had become the bridge between the offices of the Mahoning County commissioners and county auditor.
There has never been a close relationship between Auditor George Tablack and commissioners Edward Reese and Vicki Allen Sherlock. Only Commissioner David Ludt has been able to maintain strong ties with Tablack.
Yet when Sherlock invited Tablack to meet with commissioners to discuss the funding of the regional airport against the backdrop of the county's long-range revenue projections, he agreed.
The meeting took place, but Reese did not attend. Nonetheless, the session was a great success. Sherlock and Tablack reiterated that it is vitally important to keep the airport operating, even with the absence of commercial flights, because the facility is inextricably tied to the adjacent Air Reserve Station.
Ludt remains opposed to providing any more money for the airport as long as county employees are being laid off for lack of money. He also is troubled by the airport's location in Vienna Township in Trumbull County. The commissioner believes that governments in Trumbull County should be responsible for keeping the airport open.
Long-range plan
But while Sherlock and Tablack agree that Mahoning County should participate financially, they also think it's foolhardy for Mahoning commissioners to indulge in annual discussions about such funding. They want a long-range financing plan to be developed and adopted before June 30.
The airport depends on funding from Trumbull and Mahoning county governments to keep its doors open. Trumbull commissioners have already approved their allocation for this year, but the $182,000 that was pledged by Reese and Sherlock is still needed.
Although Reese has been pushing for a quick vote on the funding, Sherlock won't act until the long-range plan is in place.
As part of that endeavor, Sherlock and Tablack decided to explore all possible sources of government revenue, including the county's Convention and Visitors Bureau. The two officeholders agreed to invite bureau officials to a meeting, which was scheduled for last Tuesday.
However, Reese, as president of the board of commissioners, took it upon himself to meet recently with the chairman of the bureau's board and others. Sherlock was out of town, and Tablack says he was not aware of the meeting.
Given that there was no public notice of the meeting, we regard what took place as a preliminary session and advise the three commissioners and the county auditor to schedule a formal follow-up with the bureau's board of directors. The bureau's revenue comes from a bed tax that is imposed by commissioners.
Whether its money can be used to help pay the airport's operating expenses is a question that should be answered by experts in government law.
Economic development
Sherlock and Tablack were right in proposing the meeting with the convention and visitors bureau because a viable airport is an important economic development tool.
Tablack also wants the Trumbull commissioners to explore the possibility of in-kind services, seeing as how the Mahoning County Auditor's Office provides free bookkeeping to the airport.
In the end, the discussion about the airport's future is actually a discussion about the economic viability of the Mahoning Valley. If the airport is endangered, the case for keeping the Air Reserve Station off the base-closing list in 2005 is weakened.
This region cannot afford to lose the base and the $80 million a year it generates.