Urban: Airport Conference All Business: The Luzerne County Minority Commissioner is Seeking Airline Carriers in Austin, Texas.
Posted on: Thursday, 15 June 2006, 06:01 CDT
By Jennifer Learn-Andes, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader
Jun. 15--Luzerne County minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban attended an airport conference in Austin, Texas, this week -- something workers around the courthouse found odd.
The subject came up before Tuesday's election board meeting after Urban attended the meeting via a telephone conference call.
Commissioner Greg Skrepenak asked Commissioner Todd Vonderheid why Urban was in Texas, and Vonderheid mumbled something about an "airport junket."
Urban said Wednesday that he decided to attend because other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport board members have gone in the past, and he wanted to take a crack at landing an airline.
"This is no junket. This is to try to bring more service to the area," Urban said. "I counted 24 different airlines that are here."
The conference started June 11 and ran until 5 p.m. Wednesday. Urban said he has attended airline recruitment meetings the entire time since he arrived and hasn't had time for sightseeing.
"There is none of that," Urban said.
The six-member bi-county board that oversees the airport voted in March to send two airport representatives and any interested airport board members to the Airports Council International Marketing and Communications Conference and Jumpstart Air Service Development Program.
Trip expenses have not been approved yet.
Urban said airport Director Barry Centini and another member of the airport administration attended the conference.
Urban said he never criticized commissioners for attending meetings to attempt to recruit airlines.
He has criticized air show conferences. In December 2000, Urban blasted former commissioner Frank Crossin for attending the 1999 Memphis Air Show to recruit performers for the local air show. Urban said that trip seemed to be a "taxpayer-funded vacation" and a "plain straight junket."
The local air show lost tens of thousands of dollars and was cancelled for the airport terminal construction. The airport spent $23,200 in 1998, 1999 and 2000 to send Centini to air shows or conferences about air shows.
Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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Source: The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)
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