Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski is not assured of being reappointed to the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority board by Lehigh County commissioners.
The mayor made a rare appearance before the commissioners Wednesday night to tell them why he should be reappointed — and to offer a tough assessment of problems facing the airport authority, which runs Lehigh Valley International Airport.
“The airport is in serious trouble,” said Pawlowski.
A motion to favorably recommend him for reappointment failed in a 2-2 vote by members of the commissioners’ appointments committee.
All nine commissioners, who heard the mayor’s detailed pitch for reappointment, will vote on whether they want to give him another five years on the airport board during their March 25 meeting.
Pawlowski is a Democrat. Seven of the nine county commissioners are Republicans.
Two of those seven, Amanda Holt and Lisa Scheller, voted against giving him a favorable recommendation.
The mayor has completed one five-term term on the 15-member airport authority board and recently was elected its vice chairman.
“The rest of the board obviously has confidence in my leadership abilities and I would ask that you have confidence as well,” he told commissioners.
Just before the committee vote, Commissioner David Jones, a Democrat, said Pawlowski constantly challenges "the thought processes" of the airport authority board. “This is something we want from people who are on boards.”
Commissioner Geoff Brace, the only other Democratic commissioner, recommended the mayor’s nomination be moved forward with a positive recommendation. That was seconded by Republican Commissioner Thomas Creighton.
Holt said she voted no because she still has questions for the county’s legal department, after reading the airport authority’s bylaws. “I need time for further review.”
When introducing Pawlowski, Frank Kane, the county’s director of community and economic development, told commissioners the county administration believes the mayor should be reappointed.
“He represents the largest municipality and we value his continued service on the board,” said Kane.
Conflict of interest?
Several commissioners questioned Pawlowski about whether he has any conflict of interest by being both mayor and a member of the airport board.
Asked Commissioner Vic Mazziotti: “Do you understand why some people might wonder if your vote represents what’s in the best interest of the city or in the best interest of the authority?”
Replied Pawlowski: “People can wonder anything they want.
“I’m here to tell you that, when it comes to making those decisions, I’m looking out for the best interest of the authority as a whole — how we can shore up that operation. That will not only help my city, but everyone in the entire region.
“I’ve tried to do it objectively and I’ve tried to do it without bias.”
Michael Schware, one of the county commissioners, also serves on the airport board.
Pawlowski said he checked with the city solicitor before he went on the airport board and was told there was no conflict. He said the airport authority’s attorney reached the same conclusion.
“I think I have the least amount of conflict of anybody on the board,” said the mayor.
“I have no particular agenda, except to serve the general public. I have no planes. I don’t know how to fly a plane. I’m involved in aviation in no way whatsoever.
“I serve the largest population in the region, which makes up a third of the population of this county and a sixth of the population of the entire Lehigh Valley. And I’ve been elected overwhelmingly three times by that population.
“I would venture to say that a large portion of folks utilizing the airport are probably city residents.
“My goal is purely to see that airport succeed, to help further growth, not only in my city but in the entire region.
“I’m not trying to push an agenda that would benefit the city but negatively impact the airport.”
Pawlowski said when issues come up that may present a conflict of interest, such as the city’s lease of space at Queen City Airport, he recuses himself and leaves board meetings.
He acknowledged some may argue he has a conflict just because the city leases that space for its public works department, but said: “I don’t see it as a conflict because I don’t personally benefit in any way, shape or form.”
During his first term on the board, said Pawlowski: “I’ve tried to bring some logic and common sense to the discussions about how we continue to rebuild our finances and look at alternative ways to make this airport solvent — and how we attract new carriers into the commercial operation of the airport.
“During that time, I have not always made friends because I’ve taken on some very controversial positions that I thought were necessary for the overall health and success of the airport.”
Local pilot blasts the mayor
Robert Brown, who described himself as a Lehigh Valley pilot who uses all three local airports, stood before commissioners to blast Pawlowski.
Brown said he doesn’t want the mayor appointed to a second five-year term for several reasons.
“I don’t believe he’s that knowledgeable about general aviation. I think he’s a demonstrated foe of general aviation.
“He has a huge conflict of interest, despite the fact that the law says there’s no prohibition to having one government officials serve in a governmental capacity on another agency.”
Brown also said Pawlowski is too busy doing an “excellent” job as mayor “to serve two masters. You can’t serve two masters. If you try, you cannot do it well.”
“Nothing personal, I don’t even know the mayor,” said Brown. “But I’ve been an observer and a follower of the actions of the LNAA board of governors. There should be better candidates to fill the mayor’s expiring term.”
Brown also said Pawlowski shows up late at airport board meetings, adding “some he doesn’t make.”
Pawlowski responds
Scheller, who chairs the appointments committee, allowed Pawlowski to respond to Brown’s criticisms.
“I do not hate general aviation,” said the mayor. “I have nothing against it.
“I can multi-task. And, to the best of my knowledge, in the last year I think I missed one board meeting. When I was on vacation, I called in and participated in the board meeting.
“I volunteer my time. I think it’s an important task. I would be honored to serve again.”
LVIA success equals economic success
Pawlowski described LVIA as a critical recruitment tool to attract large corporations to the Lehigh Valley.
“It plays a very important role in the economic development of our entire region.”
But he predicted the airport is not going to experience increased air traffic coming into the Valley, “which will detrimentally affect our ability to attract these companies in the future.”
“The problem is we keep decreasing the amount of airlines that are flying out of there, thus decreasing the options,” he said.
By remaining on the board, he said, he can continue working to help figure out how to again make the airport viable for commercial airline traffic. “I don’t think it’s impossible, but it’s going to be difficult.”
Pawlowski’s financial primer
Rather than simply explaining why he should be reappointed, Pawlowski offered a lengthy primer about financial challenges facing LVIA and the airport authority board.
He said LVIA’s close proximity to the New York and Philadelphia markets is a hindrance.
“Ridership is based on price. If you’ve noticed lately, the prices for Lehigh Valley International Airport are pretty high on all carriers. Many people choose to go to New York or Philadelphia. As a result, our ridership continues to diminish.”
He explained the main reason tickets are higher is what he called the “per person per plane cost — the cost airlines pay for the person in that seat on every flight.”
“Our cost is about $16.90,” said Pawlowski. “That is extremely high when we look at the other airports. Philadelphia is like $9. Newark is around $8.50. The closest to us is $12.50 — that’s LaGuardia.
“We are way out of whack with surrounding airports in our region.”
He said most airports get much of their revenue from non-aviation activity. Philadelphia International, for example, has industrial parks around the airport and a hotel based at the airport.
“About 50 percent of all the revenue Philadelphia airport has is coming from non-aviation activity,” said Pawlowski.
“Ours is almost nothing. We have very little revenue coming from non-aviation activity.
“We need to look at ways to drive new revenue sources for that airport.”
He noted the airport authority also still owes about $9 million from settlement of a lawsuit filed against it years ago, after it took private property for a third runway that never was built at LVIA.
Queen City and Braden
Pawlowski said the airport authority’s smaller general aviation airports —Queen City Airport in south Allentown and Braden Airpark in Forks Township, Northampton County — are important, but secondary compared to commercial operations at LVIA.
He said the authority needs to figure out how both of those airports can become self-sustaining.
“One of my arguments is we should not be subsidizing the general aviation part with revenues from the commercial aviation part,” said the mayor. “We are already pushing too much onto the commercial airlines as it is.
“I don’t always get friends on the general aviation side when I say that, but it is a realistic concern.
“Our main focus has to be on that commercial side. The vast majority of the revenue and the vast majority of folks who are utilizing that airport on a daily basis are from the commercial operation.”
Schware won’t vote
Commissioner Schware serves with Pawlowski on the airport board.
Pawlowski said Schware also doesn’t having a conflict of interest because he was elected to serve the best interests of county residents.
Before accepting that appointment, said Schware, he asked the county’s legal department to look into whether it was a conflict for him to be both a county commissioner and a member of the airport board.
He was told very little would be a conflict, that he could even vote on the appointment of others to the airport board.
“However, I’ve taken the opposite position,” said Schware. “For me to vote on an airport board member would give me a power no other member of that board has.
“For that reason, I’m going to abstain from voting when the vote comes up and I won’t take part in the discussion.”
Another airport board candidate
In addition to Pawlowski, on March 25 commissioners also will vote on appointing Larry Hemberger of Lower Macungie Township to a first term the airport board.
Hemberger also stood before commissioners Wednesday to explain why he wants to serve on that board.
He said he is on the boards of the Eastern Travel Association and Skal International and belongs to the National Business Aviation Association.
He also said he was responsible for bringing Delta Airlines to LVIA.
Hemberger received a positive recommendation for approval by the full board of commissioners from all four appointments committee members.
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