In a sometimes raucous forum at the OASIS Center Thursday night, three of the four candidates for the Santa Maria airport board shared their goals and answered questions from the audience of about two dozen residents.
Each candidate began with a 10-minute opening statement, and as community members shared their concerns, the floor opened to a sometimes heated discussion about potential changes to the operation of the airport.
In District 2, incumbent Hugh Rafferty takes on Nash Moreno. In District 4, incumbents Carl Engel and Michael B. Clayton are vying for election.
Engel is the chairman of the board and Rafferty is the secretary.
Moreno was unable to attend the event, his wife said, because “he didn’t hear about the forum in time and was out of town on business.” He left a statement for the attendees.
Residents of the Santa Maria Public Airport District elect a five-member district-wide council. Each member serves a four-year term. Responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the airport rests with the General Manager and support staff.
Engel opened the forum noting that he is from Santa Maria and has experience on the board.
“I’ve been on the airport board for about 20 years,” Engel said.
He said he had had a positive impact during his tenure on the board, noting that the length of the airport’s runway had been increased, terminals had been renovated and there had been several projects airport improvements, including work on the taxiways.
Engel touted his experience in dealing with Federal Aviation Administration regulations and cutting red tape.
“We tried to push through a specific plan for the development of the business park, which is at the southern end of the airport, and we had nothing but difficulty,” Engel said.
In 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suspended a permit the Airport District needed to develop the business park on its property because a farm allegedly destroyed California tiger salamander habitat on the property. the airport. The agency sent a letter to the Airport District citing the destruction of a tiger salamander breeding pond and 110 acres of upland salamander habitat in violation of federal endangered species law .
Former airport manager Chris Hastert said last year that the area was on land the airport had leased from a farm.
Clayton noted in his opening statement his success as a businessman and lawyer in Santa Maria, saying he “keeps an eye on the airport” and would like to see it become what San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara have. at their airports.
Clayton said he “shared his frustration at the waste of taxpayers’ money.”
“I hate politics, I’m not a politician,” Clayton said. “I don’t want to race, I just want to develop an airport.”
Clayton said he does not plan to run for another position on the board, although he hopes to make “big” changes if elected to the airport board.
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A concern shared among spectators was the noise created by planes at the airport. Some said it was not so much the regular flights as military use of the airport or the AirFest air show.
Clayton agreed that the noise is a problem and said it should be fixed.
“If there’s a way to take corrective action to make things calmer, I’m all for it,” he said.
Clayton added that he plans to research how to make changes and is open to ideas.
“The air show is here two days once a year. I would ask you as a local citizen to help us,” Engel said of the noise issue. “I mean, what would you like to see?” You want us to tear up the airstrip? Prevent flights from arriving? Support us.”
Rafferty shared his education background and experience on the airport board for four years. He holds a doctorate in management, with training in computer accounting. He talked a bit about his family and cut his opening speech short to answer questions.
Rafferty and Engel pointed out how the FAA regulates noise control.
“Every plane has a noise level that the FAA has set and if it exceeds that noise level, they don’t fly,” Rafferty said.
An audience member noted that the FAA does not regulate military aircraft and that is where most noise complaints come from. Another suggested changing the plane’s flight path so it doesn’t fly directly over homes in the area.
One question asked candidates to share their views on operating Santa Maria Airport as a domestic or international airport.
“The council runs the airport,” Rafferty said. “The airlines take care of the flights. Between the airlines and the FAA, we have no control, it’s up to them. If people want more flights from Santa Maria, you can let me know. say and I can tell somebody else, but unless you start writing to the airlines and letting them know what you want, it’s not going to happen.”
“It’s not an international airport,” Engel said, referring to the Santa Maria layout. “…We don’t have the facilities to get 50 people through a customs facility. It’s ridiculous to think that.”
Clayton, however, said he saw the potential for a national airport.
“The backbone of our airport is small airlines, but we also need bigger planes,” Clayton said. “We can’t just have the small plane mentality. What’s the largest airport in California? It’s LA, the second largest airport by square footage.
Moreno left a statement highlighting his journey as a Santa Maria native and his work with tech startups.
“I believe my experience helping grow tech startups, being a member of the general aviation community, managing multi-million dollar accounts and focusing on our local community is what our airport needs. “, Moreno said in the statement.
Forum sponsors OASIS Center and Orcutt Pioneer are also sponsoring an Oct. 20 Santa Maria Joint Union High School District forum from 7-9 p.m. for candidates vying for districts four and five.
