Huntington Beach leaders called the air show settlement one of the hardest negotiations of their life, as they defended their decision and took the public’s questions at a lively town hall.
“They were so difficult that a couple of times negotiations were broken off, and I believed with all my heart that we were done,” City Attorney Michael Gates said, “there was not going to be a compromise and that there may not be an air show.”
Mayor Tony Strickland said when the air show operator walked away at times during the five-month negotiations, he “begged them to come back to the table to negotiate — I thought it was that important for the city of Huntington Beach.”
The Wednesday, Aug. 30, town hall gave the public a chance to directly question leaders involved with the controversial near-$5 million settlement between the city and the annual air show operator, Pacific Airshow.
The air show settlement, first announced in May, caused a litigious summer, from Gates refusing to release the complete settlement agreement, to a failed attempt to prevent the settlement days before the city sent the first check, and former Mayor Kim Carr being accused of wanting to halt the 2021 air show because of alleged personal animosity toward the operator.
Huntington Beach resident Diane Bentley questioned why the city didn’t look for an alternate company to hold an air show. Strickland responded by saying Pacific Airshow has done a great job in past years and has already demonstrated a positive economic impact for the city and the ability to pull off the event.
“This is the largest air show in the country,” Strickland said. “They’ve been remarkable at their economics of what they’ve done, and why wouldn’t we want to go with someone who’s a company here in Huntington Beach if we can?”
Resident Bill Nees was among those critical of why the city settled, asking what information was shared during negotiations and if the city was representing Carr, who…
Read the full article here
