STRATFORD – During a Special Meeting late yesterday afternoon the Sikorsky Memorial Airport Commission voted in favor of selling the airport to the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA).  The vote was conducted over the objection of Mayor Laura R. Hoydick who cast the lone vote in opposition as the only Stratford member of the Commission. 

In March of this year, when Bridgeport changed their position from wanting to enter into an operator agreement with the CAA for the airport to outright selling it to them, Mayor Hoydick publicly expressed interest in pursuing the purchase of the airport by Stratford.  The airport, owned by the City of Bridgeport since 1937, is entirely situated within the territorial boundaries of Stratford. 

“We have expressed the concerns Stratford has about the probable expansion and development of the airport in a way that fails to take into account the nature of the surrounding community, or the environmentally sensitive marshes and wetlands surrounding the airport,” said Mayor Hoydick.  “With this vote by the commission yesterday, Stratford was denied the opportunity to make a case for the purchase of the airport and control the destiny of the airport and region. The airport should be run by those with a vested interest in the region because we live here, not a state entity located 70 miles away.” 

Hoydick noted that the needs and desires of Stratford and the region can only be served by having the airport run by those who answer to those who live in the region, and have the most to lose or gain, depending on the type of expansion that takes place. 

“Stratford has demonstrated itself as a strong steward of the environment, from our participation in the reclamation project at the great Salt Marsh, and our extensive work on coastal resiliency, to our numerous green initiatives and our Silver status through Sustainable CT,” she added.  “The CAA can boast no such record. Rather, while pursuing purchase of the airport, they simultaneously pursued legislation which would give them unprecedented eminent domain powers to potentially seize land surrounding the airport to accommodate the expansion which would be necessary for them to begin the kind of passenger service they have indicated they would like to initiate there.” 

The sale of the airport to the CAA must still be approved by the Bridgeport City Council as well as the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).

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