Alternative Floated to Privatizing of Atlanta's Airport

December 20, 2003

Alternative Floated to Privatizing of Airport 
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA
 
Talking about the future of Atlanta's airport is like hovering over a game of 
Monopoly. All that money and importance give you such a pleasant feeling of 
unreality.

And when it comes to the airport, everyone has an opinion. "Privatize it." "Use 
the money to build new sewers." "Keep your hands off the city's crown jewel." 
We'll hear more such reactions (especially on full-scale privatization, a 
so-called cure being pushed by the Fulton County Taxpayers Association and its 
brain in California, the libertarian Reason Foundation) when the Legislature 
convenes in January.

Why do dreams of reforming the airport refuse to go away? Not just because of 
most of the state's resentment of Atlanta and its black political leadership. 
There's also a good reason. It's simply that the airport is imperfect.

Consider its not-too-ancient kickbacks, bribes, sweetheart contracts and 
political corruption. Think of the continuing residue, despite major 
improvements, of gray, airless airport corridors. You also have to admit that 
the airport's ultimate decision-making (some city officials working closely 
with Delta) is more opaque than transparent.

Other reasons for the talk of reform keep popping up: The airport is still a 
political football (witness its new name); it's worth a ton of money; and its 
owner -- the city -- is desperate for cash.

George Heery, a respected local architect who just stepped down as chairman of 
the Metro Group, an independent watchdog of the area's public affairs, 
mentioned another reason to cast a reformist eye on the airport. In his 
farewell speech, Heery reminded his colleagues that the airport serves all of 
metro Atlanta -- "yet over 90 percent of the people of the metropolitan area 
have no voice in its operation or management because fewer than 10 percent of 
[metro residents] live and vote in the city of Atlanta."

Heery has been watching the airport for years. He bravely crossed swords over 
it with Mayor Bill Campbell, and he's now a friend and admirer of Mayor Shirley 
Franklin. Unlike some other would-be airport reformers, Heery opposes 
full-scale privatization.

"I am a private enterprise person, but there are things that should not be 
private." Handing control of the airport to a private, profit-making monopoly 
would mean handing over the future of major infrastructure -- infrastructure 
crucial to the long-term well-being of the area's economy, Heery said. 
Privatization would be "a serious mistake."

He does urge restructuring, though he admits Franklin will reject his proposal 
as needless and intrusive.

Heery thinks the state should set up a metro Atlanta airport authority. "The 
authority members," Heery says, "would be appointed in some way that would 
provide reasonable insulation from political and commercial influence, and 
would attract well-qualified people with the right experience who would 
represent, in proportion, the whole metropolitan region."

How would the city gain? Heery assumes the airport's operations can produce a 
reasonable surplus of cash. After projecting how much, the state would sell the 
airport authority's "low-interest revenue bonds and use the net proceeds to pay 
the city for the purchase of the airport."
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