Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 11 | Page 14

S
mith said he was working in the finance
industry on a plan to restructure a European air-
line when he first started thinking about bringing
private-sector funding and management expertise
to the U.S. airport industry.
“You get a better product,” he said. “It’s more
efficient, and you can use taxpayer dollars for
more critical functions.”
Smith’s Propeller Investments group was in-
volved with an effort to bring commercial air ser-
vice to suburban Atlanta — a move being fought
by Delta Air Lines — when a 2013 Wall Street
Journal story on the Atlanta fight caught the
attention of Snohomish County officials. They
had long kept alive hopes that adding direct air
service to Paine Field would improve the quality
of life for county residents — and boost business
prospects.
“They cold-called me,” Smith recalled. “I nor-
mally don’t take those, but I did. And when I saw
this place… ”
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NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS
It wasn’t easy. Commercial air service at Paine Field
has been a hot-button political issue in Snohomish
County for decades, with some objecting to the noise
that additional flights would bring, and others fearing
it would attract heavy traffic and cheap hotels, thus
driving home values down.
On the other hand were business interests, who argued
that having easier access to air travel would attract
more business investments — and jobs — while also
making it easier for current county residents to get to
places they want to go.
Into the debate stepped Smith and County Executive
Dave Somers with a proposal for a first-of-its-kind-in-
America public-private partnership.
The political aspect of getting the deal through the
County Council was challenging, Smith said. “I didn’t
have any gray hairs before this.”
And last winter’s federal government shut-down over
President Trump’s fight with Congress about the border
wall funding proposal also delayed the start of flights
by about a month.