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The Flawed Tweed Argument
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Business New Haven
11/27/2000
By: BNH
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We can't think of an instance when more money was spent to less effect than in the most recent public-relations offensive to generate public-support for expanding Tweed-New Haven Airport.
Just this month, a new “citizens-action” group, activated at the highest levels, was formed, called Let's Improve the Future of Tweed (L.I.F.T.). A true corporate heavy-hitter, Pilot Pen CEO Ronald G. Shaw, was enlisted to bear the standard.
A few days later, the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) released a study (the third in five years) purporting to illustrate a groundswell of public support for a bigger, busier Tweed. At least, that's how the RGP spun the results.
However, as someone wiser than us once observed, there are lies, damn lies - and statistics (beware small sample sizes). And the numbers from the Tweed study can be viewed in several ways.
The RGP press release accompanying the survey proclaims that “Seventy-three percent of the people in the region would support daily jet service from Tweed…to destinations such as Chicago, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.” It further asserts that 56 percent of residents near the airport would prefer more flights than the present daily two flights to Washington and five to Philadelphia.
However, looking at “unspun” numbers, more residents of East Haven and New Haven's East Shore prefer the same or less air service than more service. It's pretty plain that the expand-or-die argument hasn't won over enough hearts and minds.
Also, the Tweed whining shoots economic development in the foot in a different way: It communicates to outsiders the message that “We don't have an airport.” Instead, business recruiters and others out to be proclaiming a different message: “We have a very convenient airport with plenty of flights, and it's less than an hour away.” That facility is Bradley International Airport.
What is it that prevents local leaders from embracing Bradley's relative convenience - and using it to help sell our region? The reality is this: It takes significantly longer on average to travel from Massachusetts' I-495 corridor to Boston's Logan Airport than it does from New Haven to Bradley. Yet no one would suggest that Bay State communities such as Westboro or Natick suffer economically because of their distance from Logan; indeed, I-495 is one of the fastest-growing sub-regions in the nation.
We agree that more flights out of an expanded Tweed would be more convenient; that's simply common sense.
The people pressing hardest for Tweed expansion are good people who mean well. Ron Shaw is an exemplary corporate citizen. Airport boosters like United Illuminating's Nat Woodson and the RGP's Robert Santy have their hearts in the right places. But their flawed argument undermines their cause.
The airport-boosters haven't made a compelling case that an expanded Tweed is a strategic necessity - not just an amenity - and that without it the region will become an economic backwater.
No one's buying. The region is booming economically, even if one includes laggard New Haven. That boom might accelerate with enhanced air service. But employing scare tactics or making unsound assertions weakens the boosters' case - and makes undecided observers question other facets of their argument, too.
It's also a distraction that dilutes energy and brainpower from tackling more important issues such as taxes, education and downtown parking.
The assertion that, without an expanded Tweed, New Haven will devolve into Utica, N.Y. is a losing argument. And if it's the only argument the Tweed boosters can muster, they may remain frustrated for some time yet to come.
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