If You Can't Play Nice, You Won't Play At All!
The Brevard
County Commission has spoken. Following decades of rancorous
conduct -- and next to nothing in the way of actual progress -- the
Valkaria Airport Advisory Board was disbanded Thursday, by a 3-2
commission vote.
Florida Today reports the breakup vote was preceded by numerous
speakers who decried the board's conduct, saying its often obvious
bias against Valkaria Airport (X59) served as an obstacle to
progress on the field's 20-year master plan, and stalled needed
improvements at the facility.
"For this board to allow this to continue would be an
injustice," said commissioner Jackie Colon, noting VAAB members
often launched personal attacks on county employees during Board
meetings. "It stops here. It stops right now. And we need to put an
end to it today."
Colon's sentiments were echoed by fellow commissioners Mary
Bolin and Helen Voltz. Joe Griffin, director of the Sebastian
Municipal Airport (X26), termed the board "the repository for the
antagonists of the airport."
One of the board's own members was also in favor of shutting
down the VAAB. Frank Gallagher said the advisory board has "a
20-year history of failure."
It's hard to disagree.
As ANN reported, earlier this year Brevard
Commissioner Chuck Nelson provoked an uproar in electing vocal
airport opponent Janis Walters to the VAAB... despite her apparent
opposition to the airport's very existence.
"Hiring an arsonist as fire chief would surprise me less," said
Palm Bay, FL city councilman -- and former Valkaria Airport board
chairman -- Milo Zonka at the time of Walters' appointment in
February.
Not surprisingly, Nelson was one of the few voting to keep the
advisory board going... saying while the VAAB was often
contentious, it also served as a watchdog to unchecked growth at
the airport. Grant-Valkaria Mayor Del Yonts was also in favor of
keeping the VAAB alive, though he conceded the board could have
conducted itself more professionally.
Ten-year VAAB member Russell Minton said a proposal to repave
runways at X59, to stop chunks of loose concrete from flying into
propellers -- was opposed by the board as it was perceived to
be a pro-growth measure.
"It is especially counterproductive for a board to have members
who object to the mission of the airport -- to fly aircraft,"
replied Jill Liles, secretary of the Melbourne Area Pilots
Association.
Commissioners Colon, Bolin and Voltz are in favor of having
officials in Grant-Valkaria and Malabar should coordinate relations
directly between the airport and its surrounding communities,
instead of having an intermediary.
It's not clear how that plan would prove to be any more workable
than the VAAB was, though. Residents and officials have bickered
about the airport for years... and will no doubt continue to do
so.