A new long-term lease between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its airlines is headed for a City Council vote on Nov. 9 after a rare clash between the mayor and council.
On Oct. 12, council voted 6-5 to push the vote on the roughly 10-year agreement with American Airlines and other carriers to late November, WFAE reported. Members pushing for the delay, led by Dimple Ajmera, wanted more time to look at working conditions for airport contract workers, a priority of the Service Employees International Union. Mayor Rob Harrington, appointed this summer after Vi Lyles stepped down, vetoed that decision.
WFAE reports it was the first mayoral veto in Charlotte in at least 13 years. At the Oct. 19 meeting, council didn’t have the seven votes needed to override and didn’t try. Harrington then set the vote for Nov. 9, two weeks later than first planned.
The deal matters for travelers. According to WFAE, the airlines have agreed to a $2.1 billion capital program that includes a larger atrium, an expanded Concourse C and an underground tunnel from the main terminal to new C gates. The airport says the lease will also let it start studying an expanded international concourse and a Concourse B expansion.
WFAE also notes that state lawmakers this year limited cities’ ability to set wages and working conditions for private employers, which narrows what council can require.
Source: WFAE: Mayor Harrington vetoes council decision to delay airport lease vote · WFAE: City Council declines to override mayor’s veto
