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There is a guy who has been saying for years that when Warwick gave up the tax revenue of hundreds of homes to allow for the extension of the runway, all Warwick received in return was "Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and soil pollution". He was so committed to fixing that problem that he ran for Mayor promising to "renegotiate the Airport Agreement." His critics trashed him saying that it was a "done-deal" and it couldn't be renegotiated. When State Representative Camille Vella-Wilkinson introduced a bill to have RIAC pay more, she was also trashed by these same, near-sighted critics.

They were wrong.

We absolutely need to have the airport be better neighbors. Warwick needs them to complete the renovations to the houses they promised to renovate. (Half of the homeowners on Elberta Street received approx. $30,000 for each house in sound-reducing improvements. The other half got nothing because the RIAC "ran out of money".) I have met with the Airport people several times. The people there today are a huge improvement over the previous staff. Their desire to cooperate and "be better neighbors" impresses me as genuine, and I do believe that continuous negotiations with Councilman Steve McAllister and others are the best way for Warwick to receive a more appropriate amount of revenue.

It's impossible to gage how many people left Warwick because of the airport but I have written hundreds of mortgage applications in the last twenty years and I have not heard ONE applicant say he/she was moving to Warwick BECAUSE of the airport. It's time for Warwick to get a fair share of this revenue.

Happy Valentines everyone.

Rick Corrente

The Taxpayers Mayor