X. SFO - Public Relations Campaign
Mayor Willie Brown has created what the San Francisco Examiner called an "A-team" to sell the runway plan. In May 2000, the Mayor hired Stuart Sunshine and Karen Skelton to head the runway expansion project. Sunshine was hired for at least $150,000/year and Skelton was hired as a consultant at a rate of $200-300/hour.22 Mr. Sunshine has stated that, "we need to find a way to sell it18" while Mayor Brown has worried that the "environmentalists are going to be a big thorn." 23
While the Mayor has created a talented team to sell the runway proposals, the fact is that the a reasonable proposal could be "sold" based on its merits instead of through the skills of a highly paid, well funded public relations team. In September 2000, Mayor Brown added his press secretary, Kandace Bender, to the SFO team. Her replacement, P.J. Johnston explained that Mayor Brown, "wants the heavy hitters out there on the runway project." 24
In numerous meetings, the expansion team has told regulators and environmentalists that they will consider all alternatives before deciding whether or not to fill the Bay. At the same time, SFO's spokesmen have regularly told reporters that there is no way to solve delays without building new runways in the Bay. On the morning of February 2nd, 2001, SFO's environmental manager told concerned groups that filling the Bay would be a last resort and SFO staff announced the approval of a new radar system (PRM) and new approach pattern (SOIA) that could reduce delays. That same evening, airport spokesman Ron Wilson went on television to tell the public that the new radar and approach might be helpful but the only way to solve delays would be to build new runways.
A San Mateo Times editorial congratulated SFO for offering to examine alternatives but added, "we don't think SFO is so much to be congratulated as to be mistrusted. We concluded a long time ago that SFO is only interested in new runways. Any alternative would mean a lessening of the airport's future political and economic position."25
22 San Francisco Chronicle, Airport Jobs for Brown Aide, Reporter's Daughter (5/17/00)
23 Bay Insider/KTVU, Brown Names Head of SFO Expansion Project (5/16/00)
24 San Francisco Examiner, Brown's SFO "Team" Begins to Gel, (8/24/00)
25 San Mateo Times, A New Study for SFO Runway Realignment (1/13/01)