OPINION: The city of Wilsonville is wasting your tax dollars

Why is the city of Wilsonville sending post cards to city and county citizens maligning the state master plan for the Aurora Airport? Why has the city paid lobbyist Greg Leo using your hard-earned tax dollars each year over the past decade to constantly fight the Aurora airport? The city of Canby has no lobbyist and is not actively opposing the state airport master plan even though it's 4 miles from the airport.

Aurora airport supports more than 1,200 jobs, is a key partner in fighting forest fires, provides Life Flight services and emergency lifesaving. These are jobs your neighbors have.

As citizens of Wilsonville are you really opposed to extending the runway from 5,000 to 5,500 feet to provide what the state and the FAA deem necessary for safety? This extension of the runway will not ever allow for airline travel. This is simply to make the runway safer for those who currently use it.

When that planes takes off in a winter storm to transport a heart or lung to save a patient's life do you want that pilot to have an extra 500 feet of runway for safety? I sure do.

Please let the city know you are in favor of the extension and oppose your tax dollars being used to spread misinformation in this manner. You can bet there's a personal agenda behind this false negative campaigning.

Leann Bennett

Wilsonville