Romney open to tackling airfield issues

By Davis Bushnell, Globe Correspondent, 11/21/2002

Governor-elect Mitt Romney's willingness to take on the issue of commercial aviation at Hanscom Field, one that is as controversial as any in the Boston suburbs, is in sharp contrast to his predecessors, who shied away from making definitive statements on the airfield's role.

This difference in managerial style is perhaps best illustrated by recent statements made by Romney and Acting Governor Jane Swift through their spokesmen.

Romney favors maintaining, rather than expanding, general and commercial aviation and corporate jet activity at Hanscom. At the same time, he ''looks forward to being briefed'' by the Massachusetts Port Authority, Hanscom's owner-operator, on the status of regional transportation plans, said Eric Fehrnstrom, the governor-elect's spokesman.

In short, Romney ''doesn't want Hanscom to become another Logan [International Airport],'' Fehrnstrom said, adding that the former business leader and 2002 Winter Olympics head is also confident that the current level of overall activity at Hanscom will not be revved up.

As she nears the end of her tenure, Swift is still ''supportive of a certain amount of commercial activity at Hanscom,'' said her chief spokesman, James Borghesani, who admitted that until now Swift had never adopted a public stance on Hanscom.

However, Swift would not necessarily oppose expanded activity at Hanscom, Borghesani said. ''It would depend on what that entailed and whether it had the approval of Massport.''

Swift's predecessor, Governor Paul Cellucci, was briefed by his staff on Hanscom but also never adopted a public position. Commercial aviation at Hanscom was off Governor William F. Weld's radar screen when he was governor, because Shuttle America launched its service in September 1999, long after he was out of office.

Area municipal officials and activist group leaders say they welcome Romney's getting involved with Hanscom, which is under a microscope because of a pending 2005-2015 environmental impact study.

But everything hinges on whether Romney does indeed monitor Hanscom issues when he is in office, these officials and leaders say.

And that should include looking at accelerating charter and corporate jet activity, said Bedford Selectman Sheldon Moll, who is chairman of the Hanscom Area Towns Committee, comprising officials from Bedford, Concord, Lexington, and Lincoln, the communities that adjoin the airfield.

Moll also said he would like to see serious discussions get started on regional transportation efforts, a sentiment also supported by Peter Enrich, a Lexington selectman and chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission.

''An interstate [transportation] study is desperately needed, and I'm hoping that Romney will not delegate that responsibility to Massport but, instead, will direct those efforts from his office,'' Enrich said.

Massport spokesman Jose Juves said, ''Massport is considered a national leader on regional transportation planning. And this is the third year that we've held seminars on the subject with officials from other New England states.''

That may be so, said Margaret Coppe of Lexington, head of Safeguarding the Historic Hanscom Area's Irreplaceable Assets, ''but we and others have never received summaries of what was said at those seminars.''

Her organization and another historic preservation group, Concord-based Save Our Heritage, are the primary opponents to commercial aviation at Hanscom and to any expansion of the airport.

''We've always asked for an intermodal, interstate transportation plan,'' Coppe said. ''Now, we're hoping that we'll be able to meet with Romney's staff on the need for a real study.''

Romney's becoming involved in all aspects of Hanscom's operations is crucial, said Anna Winter, executive director of Save Our Heritage.

''In our view, Governor-elect Romney's decision [to make a statement about Hanscom] indicates his recognition that Hanscom has a harmful impact on Walden, the North Bridge, and many other nationally important resources,'' Winter said in a statement. ''We are confident that he will ensure that a transportation study weighs the economic loss from reduced tourism and reduced attractiveness of this area as a place to live, as well as the loss beyond price to our national heritage.''

This story ran on page NorthWest1 of the Boston Globe on 11/21/2002. © Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company. ==========
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