The sun may be setting on the “Vatican”—that peculiar, autonomous state-within-a-state that has been burning through municipal patience over at the Plymouth Municipal Airport (PYM).
With a major move Tuesday night, the Select Board finally signaled that the party is over. By appointing two new members to the Airport Commission, the Board has effectively started the demolition work on this little fiefdom. Clearly, the Commission is finally running out of runway.
For months, the Commission has operated as if they exist on a separate planet, shielding themselves behind layers of bureaucratic complexity that make Elizabeth Taylor’s marriage history look like a simple, straightforward arrangement. At least the Vatican has to answer to God; our local version seems to think they don’t have to answer to anyone.
They love to hide behind the “enterprise account” label, acting as if those funds are some mystical, separate entity. Let’s be clear for those in the back: It’s all town money.
Even if these dollars are segregated into an enterprise account, they are still taxpayer dollars, and ultimately, Town Meeting has to approve these budgets every single year. We understand there are state and federal grants involved, but that is not a blank check for administrative dysfunction. Beyond the direct dollars, there are real, non-mandated town services being siphoned off to support this department.
It is the obligation of Town Meeting to fund the airport’s current footprint, but that is where the blank check ends. If a project isn’t mandated by state or federal law—especially when it involves expanding a runway to bring in larger, unwanted aircraft—it is well within the rights of Town Meeting to segregate those dollars and say “no.” We are not exempt from state and federal laws, but we are certainly not obligated to fund our own inconvenience.
The last thing the South Shore needs is a “mini-Massport” in our backyard. For too long, the commission has treated the Town Manager’s office like an unwanted tourist, using their “independent authority” to justify an era of gridlock and legal warfare. This move by the Select Board is a clear signal that the “state within a state” philosophy is finished. We have to ask: at what point do we stop prioritizing the expansion of a runway that we never asked for over the basic fiscal accountability of the people running the show?
The days of the Airport Commission acting as an untouchable entity appear to be numbered. It’s time to stop the “multiple layers of complexity” act and start treating PYM like what it actually is: a public asset that answers the public.
The “Vatican” might not be gone yet, but the sun is finally setting on its absolute rule. And frankly, the last thing we need is this Vatican state—or, shall I say, something even more mysterious and far more detrimental—a “mini-Massport” turning our local airport into a playground for runway expansion we never asked for.
– Al DiNardo
DiNardo is a Town Meeting member representing Precinct 17