Tennessee officials and Chattanooga leaders are fighting over who controls Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport after a new state law changed how its governing board is appointed. The result is an existing locally appointed board and a new state-appointed board that both claim authority over the airport.
State Takes More Seats
The law took effect July 1 and applies to airport authorities in Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and the Tri-Cities region. The governor and the speakers of the Tennessee House and Senate now appoint a majority of each board.
Chattanooga officials retain three appointments to the new nine-member board but have declined to fill those seats.
“The thought is, since we put so much money into it as a state, then we ought to have some say-so in the governance of the boards,” state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, who sponsored the legislation, told News From The States.
Chattanooga and its locally appointed airport board filed cases in state and federal court seeking to stop the change. The federal case asks the FAA to continue recognizing the local board while the dispute over control of the airport remains unresolved.
“My issue is when the long-term state leadership changes and people from outside of Chattanooga are appointed, they may have an adverse agenda towards Chattanooga,” Mayor Tim Kelly told WDEF. “If you actually look at the state’s financial contribution proportional to who funds our airport, they would only get two or three board seats, not six of the nine.”
State Board Leaves Case
The state-appointed board voted Thursday to withdraw the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority from the city’s lawsuit, which was filed before the law took effect and seeks to keep the locally appointed board in control. The case argues that Tennessee cannot replace the board without FAA approval because the change affects who is responsible for operating the airport.
The state-appointed members maintain that they now have authority to make decisions for the airport because no court blocked the law from taking effect. Five members attended Thursday’s meeting and approved the withdrawal unanimously. Board Chair Shannon Burger said the move would prevent the airport from continuing to spend money on the case.
Spokesperson Brooke Satterfield told News From the States that the FAA continues to recognize the locally appointed board. According to Satterfield, the FAA is expected to decide no earlier than July 27 which group it will recognize for federal airport matters.
The state-appointed board maintains that it assumed control when the law took effect because no court issued an order blocking the change.
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