One of the St. Clair
County Board members pushing for more control of MidAmerica airport is
not optimistic the struggle will ever bear fruit.
County Board
member Frank Heiligenstein, a Democrat representing Freeburg, said
Tuesday he wondered whether key decisions made by the county's Public
Building Commission concerning the financially -struggling airport would
ever come before the board for review.
The commission oversees
the county-owned airport and recently requested the commission's
attorney to review when decisions should be brought to the County Board
for final approval.
"I just can't understand why some decisions
are not coming forth to the full County Board. It almost appears as if a
supermajority of the board members are not really interested in seeing
it," Heiligenstein said.
"It's really disheartening to see the
way it transpired. Too many things are just sliding through. I don't
think sometimes fellow County Board members are doing their due
diligence on stuff they are asked to approve."
Heiligenstein said
the board should have the final say because they are representing
taxpayers. Heiligenstein and other proponents of the measure have pushed
for more control and transparency regarding the Mascoutah-based airport
since July.
"I think (the commissioners') legal counsel needs to
definitely recommend to them that ... some decisions need to be
submitted for County Board approval to retain the public's confidence,"
Heiligenstein said. "The County Board retains the checks and balances,
particularly for the facility out there. I think it's basic common
sense."
Frustrations surrounding the issue brought about a heated
exchange Monday night between County Board member Ed Cockrell, a
Republican of New Athens, and St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern
during a meeting of the County Board.
The exchange followed a
question from Heiligenstein about whether a lease agreement and
consulting contract OK'd by the commission would be coming before the
full County Board for approval.
Kern, a Democrat, said the
commission has "always brought activities from the airport before the
board." He cited as an example the board's approval of an expansion at
North Bay Produce, which operates a refrigerated warehouse at the
airport.
"The board continues to vote for improvements on those
types of issues at the airport, and as always (MidAmerica Director) Tim
Cantwell comes to Economic Development Committee and reports," Kern
said. "I encourage County Board members to attend those meetings and
hear those reports. It is eye-opening to hear the good things that are
happening there."
The committee's monthly meeting was canceled in December, Heiligenstein noted.
The
heated exchange began when Cockrell said the commission should seek
County Board approval for contracts and real estate agreements as
outlined in a board approved resolution from 1996.
"I think ...
there appears to be some conflicting language in that resolution but I
still think the spirit of that resolution needs to be followed,"
Cockrell said. "I was at the Public Building Commission meeting and
asked that certain items come to this County Board if for nothing else
information purposes, but it doesn't say that. It says approval by the
County Board."
Kern said Cockrell's assertions were politically motivated.
"I
think the fact that agreement was done 16 years ago and we haven't
heard from you on that since smacks of politics," Kern said. "I think a
lot of people understand this is election time, and politics tend to
come out. For 16 years it seemed to be OK and now all the sudden you
have issues."
Cockrell responded he is not up for election and he
is pursuing the issue because the projected deficit at the airport is
$1.4 million this year. The airport regularly relies upon subsidies from
the county to operate.
"Being fiscally responsible is not political," Cockrell said.
Kern
said Cockrell was not being fiscally responsible when he voted against
the county issuing bonds to support expansions at the Boeing Company and
North Bay Produce at the airport. The bonds are being repaid by both
companies through lease agreements.
"I tend to think you need to
look at your voting record and determine whether you are truly committed
to improve MidAmerica Airport," Kern said.
Cockrell said he voted against those proposals because the public was not informed about them.
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