Some Uneasy About Spending Taxpayer Money
The town of Greenwich, CT -- one of several communities to rally
against the FAA's proposed rerouting of New York-area airline
traffic -- now appears to be reconsidering its role in a lawsuit
against the federal agency.
In November, the town of Greenwich -- along with 10 other
communities in Fairfield County, and the state itself -- sued the
FAA in the US Court of Appeals for the Second District of New York.
Complaints in the lawsuit include allegations the FAA did not
adequately investigate the noise and environmental impact of
sending airliners over the towns.
That was then... and this is now. The Greenwich Time reports
several Greenwich members of the committee formed by the towns to
pursue those complaints are now having second thoughts, in
particular regarding the cost of pursuing the legal battle.
"At this point in time, I personally have a number of
reservations about continuing the lawsuit," said Erica Purnell,
co-chairman of the Selectmen's Advisory Committee on Aircraft
Noise.
To date, Greenwich has approved spending $64,100 on attorneys
fees, and to lobby lawmakers. That amount was reduced slightly when
three other municipalities joined the battle... but with a $27,500
payment due in February, and another $23,400 due in July, some are
questioning the continued use of taxpayer dollars, to fight what
may amount to a Pyrrhic victory at best.
It's unlikely Greenwich will pull
its support of the committee before the June 30 end of the fiscal
year, according to First Selectman Peter Tesei... who took flak
from his opponent during recent elections for his call for
Greenwich to perform a cost-benefit analysis before joining in the
lawsuit.
"It's not an open-ended commitment," he said. "Any future
commitment would have to be determined after assessing where they
stand with the case... Clearly, people know where my sentiments
were prior to assuming office. I don't believe we're the only
municipality whose leaders and decision-makers are being cautious
with our commitment."
Despite her concerns, Purnell says the lawsuit has already paid
dividends, by bringing greater attention to the area's plight. The
issue has landed on the desk of President Bush, and Attorney
General Richard Blumenthal... who then filed his own lawsuit on
behalf of Connecticut against the FAA. As ANN reported, the
Government Accountability Office also said it would take a closer
look at the FAA's plans.
Those are examples of why Greenwich should continue to support
the coalition for now, asserts Democratic Selectman Lin Lavery.
"We should re-examine it as we go, but, right now, we've made a
commitment, and we should stay with it," he said. "I think it's
extremely important that we have a seat at the table and that we
support the other communities in this lawsuit. We have to be aware
of what this is going to mean for our community."