President's Message

Friends . . . and true colors . . .

At the time of this writing I just returned from Olympia. I was giving testimony in favor of Senate Bill 6603. This specific piece of legislation is regarding land use adjacent to general aviation airports.  For those legal geeks out there it is an attempt to update RCW 36.70.547. Basically, the original law came into effect in 1996 asking, “Every county, city and town . . . to discourage the siting of incompatible uses adjacent to  . . . airports”.  The proposed legislation changes the key word to prohibit.

During testimony the senators heard from a number of individuals and organizations. Specifically, those in favor of 6603 were WSDOT – Aviation Division, WAMA – Washington Airport Management Association, WPPA – Washington Public Ports Association, AOPA and others. Those opposed were the Council of Cities and the developer wanting to encroach on my airport in Shelton. I can’t remember his exact words but he was not complimentary to WSDOT. And that may have backfired on him according to secondhand information attributed to some of the Senators taking testimony. 

There is a second piece of legislation in my sights. A Joint Legislative Audit and Review (JLARC) study that recommends all General Aviation Aircraft be charged a 1% excise tax. There is no attempt to evaluate the benefits derived by the state from aviation. The analysis also excludes the “other” taxes we pay into the general fund. And of course we are all so rich we can afford it. To get your heart rate up go to http://www.leg.wa.gov/JLARC/Pages/default.aspx  (Look for the 2009 Tax Preferences and go to page 126). Similar legislation was attempted and defeated in 1982. Then as now there was a major economic downturn. The difference is that this recession appears to be deeper at the state level.

With luck and hard work all of this will be history by the time you read this . . . But I did want to spend a moment or two talking about some of the people I met along the way . . . specifically the Senate Sponsors of 6603. I think we are all aware of Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, (D) 10th District, Island County. She has been and remains one of aviations staunchest supporters.  I was very pleased to see Senator Chris Marr, (D) 6th District, Spokane Area. His no nonsense questions to the developers and city planners made it very clear that he is well versed in the problem.

I also want everyone to know the names of the other Senators who sponsored SB 6603.

1.      Dan Swecker         (R)       20th Dist          Chehalis

2.      Tracey Eide           (D)       30th Dist          Federal Way

3.      Karen Kaiser         (D)       33rd Dist          Des Moines

As for the 1% excise tax I received an email from Senator Cheryl Pflug, (R) 5th Dist, Issaquah giving the WPA a heads up. She was asking about volunteer activities and donations of time and money on the part of GA pilots.  For those of you who don’t know Senator Pflug, she is a pilot and comes from a flying background. What I truly appreciate is the fact that she reached out to us before anyone else knew about this.

So, recall some of my earlier “president’s messages” in WINGS where I talked about the WPA getting politically connected. Recall my comments about engaging in debates with respect? Well just look at the colors of those stepping up to help General Aviation.  It is not about red or blue. These Senators have shown their “true colors” to aviation.

John F. Dobson
State President
Washington Pilots Association