I attended the annual Massachusetts Airport Management Association (MAMA) conference this week in Hyannis. As you may know, I am the Chairman of the Massachusetts Legislative Aviation Caucus at the State House. I have had an interest in aviation since I was a young boy. And, of course, I represent Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield.
The purpose of this annual conference is to bring airport managers, commissioners, employees, consultants, contractors, politicians, and policy makers together to network and share information relevant to airports and the aviation industry in the Commonwealth.
One of the key presenters was Chris Willenborg, Administrator of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics Division and the former Airport Manager of Barnes Airport. Another was a deputy administrator of the Northeastern regional office of the Federal Aviation Administration.
There were sessions by consultants who focused on environmental issues at airports such as storm water runoff. There was a session on airport security for the smaller general aviation (GA) airports in the Commonwealth. And there were several talks about marketing and promoting our airports.
I spoke on the second day of the conference about the Aviation Caucus and how airport managers and commissioners could maximize their effectiveness in communicating with politicians and policymakers on Beacon Hill. I encouraged them to reach out to their own legislators and invite their representatives and senators to tour their airport facilities and the tenant businesses on their airfields. I asked them to request their legislators join the Aviation Caucus.
During the lunch session on the first day a gentleman from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute addressed the group about their search for the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s plane. It was fascinating.
While the purpose of the conference was to focus on aviation and the importance of the aviation industry in Massachusetts the broader topic of transportation and transportation infrastructure in the Commonwealth was also much on people’s minds.
Two of the keynote speakers at the MAMA conference were MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey and Representative William Strauss, Chairman of the MA House of Representatives Committee on Transportation.
Both gentlemen spoke on the vast transportation network of our state that includes the highway system, the turnpike, the commuter rail, regional buses, the MBTA, the ferries and steamship authority, and, of course, the airports of Massachusetts.
We were put on notice that very early in the new legislative session which starts in January 2013 we could see a major transportation investment plan come down the pike to be taken up by the Governor and the House and Senate so it is done and out of the way before the legislature would normally begin debating the annual state budget in the late spring.
We heard how the Commonwealth has billions of dollars in unmet transportation improvement needs. We were told that the neglect of much of the infrastructure of the state is beginning to catch up with us. And the issue of revenue to pay for these improvements was broached.
A few years ago Governor Deval Patrick floated several ideas including raising the gasoline tax and open road tolling as some of the ways he would propose to pay for the upgrades. His proposals were largely ignored by the legislature at the time, mainly because most of us feared the money would come from our constituents but go only to benefit the people and projects in the Boston metropolitan area.
This time around other sources are also being looked at including restoring the tolls on the western portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike, raising auto registration fees, raising the sales tax on motor vehicles, eliminating sales tax exemptions currently on the books in the state, and many others. It is widely agreed that federal aid will be diminishing in the future and cannot be relied upon.
Both Chairman Strauss and Secretary Davey did indicate that it would be up to lawmakers to make the case convincingly to their constituents and advocacy groups like MAMA around the state in order for them to earn the support of those groups.
I have my own thoughts on much of what I heard but I intend to wait until I see concrete proposals and the actual legislation to weigh in. Please know that I will keep my constituents informed through this column and other forms of outreach as to any proposals coming down the pike out of Boston that might impact us.
The Westfield Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting Wednesday evening at Shaker Farms Country Club. The room was packed with chamber members and business people. Mayor Knapik, Senator Knapik and I spoke about the state of the city and the state. One of the themes of the evening was that Westfield has come through the worst of the construction and has emerged as a beautiful city that is becoming the envy of other cities in the region. After all the taxpayer investment we are beginning to see the private sector step up with private dollars to invest in our community.
I would like to congratulate Jeff Daley and Mike Coffey who were both given awards by the Chamber. I also want to thank outgoing Board Chairman Bill Parks for his service to the Chamber and to welcome Ron Bryant who is the incoming Chair.
I hope you and your family enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving.
Have a great week.
Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Maura Cassin may be reached at their Westfield District Office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, (413) 568-1366.
Representative Don Humason may be reached at his Boston office, State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803.
Email address: [email protected]
Website: www.DonHumason.org
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield News.
