Democratic County Council Vows to Break Promise

Even I didn't think they would go this far. Shows what I know.

Small passenger service airline Allegiant Air wants to have service at Paine Field in Snohomish County. Because the county has accepted millions of dollars from the federal government, it is prohibited from discriminating against any type of aviation use, including commercial service.

But the four Democrats on the County Council have vowed to do precisely that: discriminate against Allegiant Air, simply because of the service it provides. And now the FAA is threatening to pull funding.

The FAA made a point of noting that the county "is obligated to make areas available for lease on reasonable terms and negotiate in good faith," because the county clearly is not meeting those obligations.

Even if funding is pulled -- as perhaps some people would prefer to having Allegiant Air service -- it would still represent Snohomish County turning its back on its obligations, its promises. When you take the money, you are promising you will abide by the terms, not just at the moment, but for the future. The runways and so on are paid for with the expectation that aviators will not be discriminated against.

The Democrats on the Council are breaking the promise Snohomish County made. It's not right.

I personally couldn't care less either way about Paine Field. I don't live close to it. And if I did live there, I probably wouldn't want expanded air service. But rules are rules, and promises are promises, and I do have an interest in my county doing what it promises it will do.