Published: April 27, 2009 11:55 pm      

Exec defends airport funding

Johnstown’s airport is being unfairly portrayed as an overfunded Washington pork project, a prominent local businessman said Monday.

Bill Polacek, president and CEO of JWF Industries and JWF Defense, was reacting to multiple reports in the national media linking airport funding to the supposed “pork-barrel spending” of U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown.

Polacek said the authority governing the Richland Township airport works hard to secure needed funding.

“We’re really not getting any more money than any other airport would,” said Polacek, who also is a member of the airport authority.

The facility, which bears Murtha’s name, has made national news several times in the past week.

A CNN report is representative of the coverage: The cable news network said Murtha is “one of ‘the kings of pork’ ” in Washington and has directed nearly $200 million to the airport, mostly in the form of legislative earmarks.

While the airport “may not see many passengers,” the facility has “seen plenty of arrivals of tax dollars from Washington,” CNN reported.

The network also quoted a taxpayer advocate as saying Murtha has “dumped in nearly $200 million into this project that has virtually no passengers. It’s practically a museum piece.”

Local officials are taking exception to those statements even as more major media outlets fly into the airport to take a crack at the same story.

On Monday, Polacek interviewed with “Inside

Edition.” He has an interview scheduled today with Fox News.

The businessman argues that funding for airport improvements is tied to its ridership, adding that the facility recently lost $850,000 in federal money because passenger counts fell below the 10,000 mark.

“These funds are highly scrutinized by the (Federal Aviation Administration),” Polacek said.

“You have to have ‘X’ amount of activity to get that.”

Polacek does not deny, however, that Murtha has helped steer funds to the airport.

“Does he help us from time to time? Sure he does,” Polacek said. “That’s what he’s paid to do.”

Also, a significant amount of the money Murtha has brought to the airport has been targeted for military purposes. The National Guard, Army Reserve and Marine Corps all have a presence around the airport.

Polacek believes there are political motivations behind the recent rash of publicity surrounding Murtha’s spending practices.

“I think it’s the Republican party looking to discredit the congressman,” he said.