Voters – Or Fate? – To Decide Maine Airport’s Future

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The future of a small municipal airport in Biddeford, Maine, will go on the ballot this year, so voters can decide if it should stay or go. The City Council is expected to decide this week whether a special election will be held, or if the question can wait until the general election in November. Opponents have argued that the airport costs the city money, and it would be better to sell the land to a developer for a few million dollars of profit. Mayor Joanne Twomey told the Sun Chronicle she will abide by the wishes of voters. “I am a big believer in democracy and the voice of the people,” she said. She added that since there is a successful small airport 20 minutes away in Sanford, maybe Biddeford doesn’t really need one. “I see this airport issue as one of priorities. We have a school that needs attention,” she said. “My thought is we need to put our priority list out there.” Local EAA and AOPA members have lobbied to preserve the airport, and a group called Friends of Biddeford Airport has been formed in hopes of convincing the City Council and voters that the airport has value.

But ultimately, the airport’s fate may be decided by more mysterious forces — staffers at the Sun Chronicle asked a Magic 8 Ball, “Will Biddeford residents vote to keep the municipal airport open?” The response: “My sources say ‘no.'”

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