Winds Of Change

One thing I've noticed about the media, be they local or national, is this: They always seem to find an "outlier," something that goes against the grain of conventional wisdom or prevailing opinion.

They'll always find a Republican who will side with Democrat opposition on an issue.

They'll always find the family of a murdered relative that, despite losing their loved one, is still against capital punishment.

They'll always find someone Jewish who's sympathetic to the Islamic or Muslim cause.

There's only one area where the local media maintains a "vacuum": In a neighborhood of several thousand residents, the local media can't seem to find one person who at best livin likes living near Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, or at worst is neutral about the airport issue.

Indeed, just about every news item dealing with Tweed---even good news!---invariably includes the tag line, "neighborhood residents opposed to the airport..." Imagine if, at coverage of every Civil Rights milestone, the media included, "The Ku Klux Klan voiced their opposition..." You get the idea.

Are they going to tell us that no one who moved out there may have done so because they actually like to watch the planes come and go? That there isn't anyone who finds something rather "aesthetic" about it? As they used to say in the old TV sitcom, "Get Smart," I find that hard to believe.

Yet, that's exactly what they want to do. They would have you believe that everyone who has bought a house near Tweed is marching in lock step opposed to every improvement, present or future, viewing it as "expansion." That the opposition is monolithic.

I have personally heard from Morris Cove residents who told me they stopped a reporter (usually the Register's Mark Zaretsky) at a public hearing to tell him that they favor airport development, only to hear, "Thank you," with their statement never to be included in the story. And those few who have had the courage to stand up and speak at those meetings were usually shouted down by a minority militant faction opposed

HOWEVER...

There may be some changes afoot.

Oh, there have been incidents of pro-Tweed sentiment in the past. East Haven Democrat mayor Hank Luzzi was very friendly toward Tweed in the early 1990s, and he was reelected---twice. East Haven mayoral candidate Adam Christoferson, founder of the short-lived "Trolley Party," presented a platform that included a pro-airport policy in 2013. And in 2023, Republican East Haven mayoral candidate Samantha Parlatto conducted a survey, the results of which showed more East Haveners in favor of Tweed than were opposed.

This year's 18th Ward aldermanic contest is producing some rather shall we say "curious" statements regarding the candidates' position on the airport. Mind you, while no one is coming out endorsing the airport, what's notably missing is the fire-and-brimstone opposition speeches you would have heard from politicians the likes of John Giordano, Anthony Proto, Jr., Joe Maturo, Mike Lawlor or Len Fasano. The tone takes on wording that is carefully crafted, almost conciliatory, but still expressing firmness. What do I mean? Consider:

18th Ward Democrat candidate Zelema Harris: "There's good and bad parts to the airport."

18th Ward Democrat candidate Leland Moore: "The most productive debate is not pro- or anti-Tweed, but rather how to address the real 'quality of life' issues."

18th Ward Republican candidate Anthony Acri: "The airport's not going anywhere, and the airport does give revenue to New Haven."

Even East Haven mayoral candidate Anthony Camposano, while not referring to Tweed directly, pledged his administration will be one "standing up to outside interests threatening the health, safety and character of the community." I find that to be an improvement over the outright "I'm opposed to airport expansion!" rhetoric of the past.

(I find Ms. Harris's candidacy rather heartwarming in that this pensions analyst is an African-American woman who, when she moved into her Townsend Avenue home, was welcomed by the neighbors with chocolate chip cookies. A far cry from the late 1960s and early 1970s when any African-American family who dared buy a home in the Annex/ Cove was greeted with threats of vandalism, if not the actual vandalism itself, forcing them to flee for their safety. Speaking of change, a number of families of Hispanic background have left Fair Haven and moved to East Haven, with more than a few establishing businesses along Main Street.)

Are this year's candidates resigned to the airport carrying out its proposed improvements? Well, I wouldn't go quite that far, although East Haven mayor Carfora has admitted there's precious little the town can do vis-a-vis the Runway 2-20 extension, as all the work is being performed entirely within New Haven city limits. And wasn't it the same Mayor Carfora who, in 2021, declared the airport's new passenger terminal would "be built by East Haven business and East Haven labor"? I sure wish he'd come back versus the Carfora who has now come out against the new terminal.

Understandably, what the candidates are saying is that they want the local community to have more input in the airport's proposals.

And it's not like the airport hasn't responded. Recent years have seen houses "noise-proofed" by the airport, and more recently, the airport providing air filtration systems to nearby homeowners. Moreover, Avelo Airlines has held job fairs on the airport grounds and in East Haven for those considering a career in the airline industry or aviation in general. And Breeze Airways has pledged to keep its scheduled flights within reasonable hours of the day. As if all this weren't enough, the Airport Authority has created a "neighborhood outreach" panel to keep lines of communication open with the neighbors.

Which is not to say that there is no more militancy among the hoi poloi. No, there are still those rock-ribbed, to-the-death factions who still double down on defending their choice of buying a home near an airport who would love to see Tweed closed to become anything short of affordable/Section 8 housing. This is the hill they'll die on.

The radio host Glenn Beck once said on his program that "what one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces."

And just as residents of Windsor Locks, Enfield and East Granby have gone from tolerating Bradley International Airport to embracing it, I am hopeful that we are seeing the beginnings of a similar scenario play out with Tweed and its neighbors as well.

[Accept no imitations! Get the real deal on Tweed on Facebook with Tweed Facts, not "Fly Tweed Facts"! And join us on "As The Beacon Turns" and have a some fun with the rest of us!]