I read this piece more than once, trying to find some virtue in it. I do applaud Gene Richards for what he has done to bring the airport to a better place operationally. It appears he has addressed many issues which make it run leaner and, from a business sense, function better for the city of Burlington, which owns it. He did a very good job overseeing the removal of the empty houses in my neighborhood and making the area livable as it was happening. He has responded to requests to halt the airport employees or venders' workers from parking on neighborhood streets. All this is good. What hasn't been done so well is working with South Burlington residents to address issues of noise. After a very rowdy meeting with the unveiling of the noise map in November, Gene has taken the comments made as a personal affront and refuses to participate with residents to make this a more livable part of my city. My hope is that he can transfer his energy, and his ego, to a mission of working with the airport's neighbors for the benefit of all of us. This article as a PR piece does wonders for Gene and the airport. It would have been better if some residents were interviewed to bring some reality to it.
Re: “Up in the Air: Gene Richards Works to Keep the Airport Competitive”
I read this piece more than once, trying to find some virtue in it. I do applaud Gene Richards for what he has done to bring the airport to a better place operationally. It appears he has addressed many issues which make it run leaner and, from a business sense, function better for the city of Burlington, which owns it. He did a very good job overseeing the removal of the empty houses in my neighborhood and making the area livable as it was happening. He has responded to requests to halt the airport employees or venders' workers from parking on neighborhood streets. All this is good. What hasn't been done so well is working with South Burlington residents to address issues of noise. After a very rowdy meeting with the unveiling of the noise map in November, Gene has taken the comments made as a personal affront and refuses to participate with residents to make this a more livable part of my city. My hope is that he can transfer his energy, and his ego, to a mission of working with the airport's neighbors for the benefit of all of us. This article as a PR piece does wonders for Gene and the airport. It would have been better if some residents were interviewed to bring some reality to it.