AOPA member speaks out on proposed airport cuts
While Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been in a budget-slashing mode, officials are taking a hard look at what his proposal would mean for the quality of life in the city. AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Euel Kinsey was quoted in The Detroit News last week when he appeared at a city council meeting about the mayor's plan to fix a $300 million deficit. In addition to cutting back on law enforcement employees, the mayor wants to eliminate 18 positions at the Coleman A. Young Airport, reducing the number of city employees to five. He would use outsourcing to maintain the facility. Kinsey said that he doubted the contractors could maintain the level of quality and questioned the timing when the city will be hosting the world for baseball's All-Star game and the Super Bowl. "Perhaps some members of the public might be under the mistaken impression that Detroit City Airport has merely become a playground for a few aircraft owners. Nothing could be further from the truth. For more than 75 years, the airport has served our city," Kinsey said. He went on to detail the economic impact of the airport and how it supports the auto industry, besides the community.
May 20, 2005
