Mayor Kelly Says Airport Board Lawsuit To Continue Despite "Threat"; Burger Denies Threat

Mayor Tim Kelly said Tuesday that the city will continue to fight in court to keep the locally appointed Airport Board, though he said the chair of the "new board" Shannon Burger "is now threatening funding will disappear" if it does. Dr. Burger afterward released a statement denying any threat being made. The mayor said, 'For years, the state funded a percentage of Chattanooga's airport without political conditions, designed to support our locally governed airport with a singular, crucial purpose: to foster and accelerate our local economic development. Dr. Shannon Burger, who chairs the state-appointed board under a recent change to law, is now openly threatening funding will disappear unless the locally-appointed board drops its defense of a law that threatens its existence."Altering these terms without cause is blatantly contrary to the public interest. Economic progress in Tennessee is driven by the strength of its cities; weakening local infrastructure and development initiatives hurts the entire state."Taking legal action to defend our city against unlawful state overreach is not a waste of taxpayer dollars - it is a fundamental necessity. Just as any homeowner would rightfully go to court to protect their property from being unlawfully taken, Chattanooga must stand firm to defend its local assets, governance, and resources."If the state offered Chattanooga other incentives or benefits such as the tailored support or route guarantees afforded to Nashville's airport, this conversation might be different. BNA already controls 72 percent of statewide enplanements. The truth is the state has never offered CHA route guarantees to accelerate our economic growth, and has never offered to do so. Strengthening the state's grip on our airport when Nashville already has near total dominance in state economic development makes no sense for Chattanooga."Despite our weak position, controlling less than four percent of state enplanements, Chattanooga's airport has a record number of passengers and continues to expand through local leadership - period. Surrendering local board control to state authorities in Nashville poses a clear threat to our airport's future and regional interests."That is why the lawsuit will continue and the locally-appointed board will have its day in court." Dr. Burger said, "I want to address the suggestion that I threatened Mayor Kelly, the city of Chattanooga, or anyone else with the loss of airport funding. "I did not. Period. "Here is exactly what I said: 'CMAA faces a very real risk of losing significant state funding. Under current funding formulas, absent continued legislative appropriations beyond the Tennessee Equity Fund, Chattanooga Airport's State allocation could fall from more than $9 million in FY2027 to approximately $1.1 million." 'By contrast, the city has not provided recurring operating or capital funding to CMAA for roughly four decades. That context matters when evaluating both the cost of continued litigation and the financial relationships that actually sustain the Airport.' She said, "Those words speak for themselves. "I identified a financial reality facing the Airport under the current funding structure and made the point that maintaining strong relationships with the governmental partners that actually invest in Chattanooga Airport matters. "Recognizing a risk is not the same thing as threatening to cause it. "And if Mayor Kelly believes Chattanooga deserves more state investment, we agree. That is precisely why I believe strengthening our relationships with state leaders, rather than creating unnecessary conflict with them, is in Chattanooga's best interest. "I do not control state appropriations. I have never asked for Chattanooga's funding to be reduced, and I would strongly oppose any effort to punish our airport. I want exactly the opposite: more investment, more routes, more passengers, more economic opportunity, and an even stronger Chattanooga Airport. "As chair, I have an obligation to talk candidly about financial risks, protect public resources, and consider how the decisions made today affect the Airport tomorrow. I will not apologize for doing that. We can disagree about this lawsuit without mischaracterizing one another. Our airport is too important to our community, our economy, and our future to become a political football."