Friday, June 22,
2001
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Commissioners did the right thing on runway expansion By MIKE
KENN
An article that ran a few weeks ago led with the headline "North pols decline to fight airport." What the headline should have read, if accuracy was the most important feature of a newspaper headline, is "Northern pols fight airport intelligently." On May 16, Commissioner Bill Edwards sponsored a resolution against the airport runway extension. The resolution failed to receive the four votes needed to pass. What, you might ask, would this resolution have accomplished if it had passed? Absolutely nothing there was nothing in Commissioner Edwards' resolution that would have done anything to make the people of South Fulton lives better. There was nothing in the resolution that would have done anything to relieve any of the burdens of the fifth runway expansion. To characterize my vote and other commissioners' votes against the resolution as 'a slap in the face' or a 'sellout' is ridiculous. The bottom line is that the resolution was meaningless and the people of South Fulton County deserve more than that. The people of South Fulton deserve something more than political grandstanding. The people of South Fulton deserve leadership and results. That's why I brought forward a resolution (which passed with the support of all of the other commissioners, except Commissioner Edwards) that develops a plan to address the expansion of the airport. Specifically, I'm working on county staff to develop noise level standards that are greater than those that are currently required. I'm working on finding ways to mitigate the noise for those who live in the neighborhoods closest to the airport. I'm working to develop alternative transportation plans to ensure that your communities are not turned upside down by construction trucks and re-routed traffic. In conclusion I'm working to address many of the concerns that were brought to my attention over the past several months. What does this mean to the people of South Fulton? It means that for the first time Fulton County will have developed a mitigation plan in coping with the expansion of the airport. It means that many of the citizens' concerns have been heard and are going to be addressed. It means that for the first time Fulton County will ask the airport to accept our plan and standards before expansion begins. It also means that for the first time ever Fulton County (I) will ask the airport for a written commitment against the development of a sixth runway. I will be meeting with representatives of the airport to achieve these goals. If the airport refuses to negotiate with us on these matters I am more than willing to stand up with Commissioner Edwards and anyone else to denounce the airport. But, I'm not going to without trying to do what is right for the people of South Fulton. You deserve something more than empty rhetoric and that's what I hope to give you.
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