Cities south of Paine Field are getting ready to lawyer up.
Mukilteo officials have met recently with attorneys, hoping to retain one who can help the city fight commercial airline service at Paine Field, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said June 24.
A year ago, Mukilteo set aside $250,000 for a legal fund to fight any such proposal.
On June 24, Edmonds added $5,000 to the pool.
“You’d have to call (our contribution) symbolic,” Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson said June 23. “If need be, if we need more money, we’ll probably get more money.”
In light of Allegiant Air’s announcement last month that the discount airline wanted to fly in and out of Paine Field, the timing is important, Marine said.
Edmonds’ City Council has already unanimously passed a resolution opposing commercial flights from Paine Field, but voted June 24 to contribute financially to the fight as well.
The vote was 5-1, with Councilmember Steve Bernheim dissenting. He did not explain his vote, nor was he available for immediate comment.
Edmonds’ opposition to commercial flights is real, Councilmember Peggy Pritchard Olson wrote in an e-mail.
“We are serious about not wanting a commercial airport at Paine Field,” she said.
Marine welcomes Edmonds’ contribution, he said.
The money will make it easier for Mukilteo to share the work of its attorneys, he said.
But it also helps send a clear message.
“It speaks volumes as to the degree of their interest in this,” Marine said. “It is one thing to pass a resolution, it is another to put your money with your mouth is.”
Marine has talked to city officials in Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace, and hopes those cities will contribute to the legal fund, too.
In May, Snohomish County Councilman Brian Sullivan said he’d support the county matching Mukilteo’s contribution to a legal fund.
Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com
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