Worcester mayor opposes Trump air traffic plan
Worcester Mayor Joe Petty opposes President Donald Trump's proposal to privatize the nation's air traffic control system.
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty on Monday joined 34 of his counterparts from cities in 28 states to speak out against President Donald Trump's proposal to privatize the nation's air traffic control system.
The bipartisan group of mayors said in a statement that privatization would harm their communities by threatening jobs and hampering economic activity that depends on air transportation.
Trump last week announced plans for a new framework and bidding process that would turn air traffic control operations in the United States over to a "self-financing, non-profit organization," citing billions of dollars spent and "an ancient, broken, antiquated horrible system that doesn't work."
In a statement released by the Alliance for Aviation Across America, the mayors said municipalities depend on local airports for residents to access medical care and disaster relief, transport supplies, operate small businesses and manage crops and farmland.
"But privatization of the air traffic control would put decisions about infrastructure investment, routes, access, and market entry for low-cost competitors in the hands of the big airlines," the statement said. "These are the same airlines that have cut flights to small- and mid-sized airports by over 20 percent in recent years. We simply cannot leave small- and mid-sized communities to fend for themselves."
Kendall Lane of Keene, N.H., David Rollins of Augusta, Maine, and Michael Passero of New London, Conn. were the other New England mayors signed on to the statement.
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