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Telling part of the story rather than the whole story is a favoured ploy of politicians and our own local councillor Bill Faulkner is no exception to the rule.
His weekly epistle of 27 April extolled the business acumen of our local airport committee applauding a surplus of $1.1million to end of March. What he did not say is that their annual operating revenue of circa $4.3million includes in excess of $2.5million from industrial property leases without which the airports aeronautical business would run at a deficit of over $1million. The airport is in effect one of the most heavily subsidised activities of Council.
Graeme Horsley, Mount Maunganui.
Cr Faulkner responds:
The relevant comment in my column read “this operation is non ratepayer funded and is supported by a user pays airport and leases off surrounding land.” Perhaps the user pays part has touched a raw nerve for Mr Horsley in his capacity as Chairman of the Art Gallery? The point Mr Horsley misses is that the airport is non-ratepayer funded, unlike the Art Gallery.
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Posted on 05-05-2012 19:43 | By Phailed
The only reason that Council owns land right by the airport proper is that the airport is next to it. Thank goodness some politicians in the past had the brains to accumulate land near the best placed airport in any provincial city.