Irons says Southwest statements consistent

What is King County executive candidate David Irons' position on Southwest Airlines' proposal to move from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Boeing Field?

If elected, he wrote earlier this month to Boeing Field neighbors who don't want more airplanes flying over their homes, "I will put a stop to this ridiculous proposal."

On Monday, he wrote in an e-mail to a supporter of the Southwest proposal that if the airline paid for road improvements, "I am open to this concept."

Confused?

So are a number of people with a stake in the outcome of the debate over opening county-owned Boeing Field to Southwest and possibly to its competitors, Alaska and Horizon Airlines.

"It's quite troublesome," said Georgetown resident and business owner Kathy Nyland, a Democrat who has been thinking about voting for Irons, a Republican.

"If there's an e-mail floating around saying he's open to it, then we'll have to have a write-in campaign. We'll do something."

Christian Sinderman, a spokesman for County Executive Ron Sims' re-election campaign, called Irons' statements "political pandering at its worst. ... This is a guy that's willing to say anything to anybody to try and win a vote. It shows a real lack of integrity."

Sims, who announced in June that Southwest was preparing a proposal to move to Boeing Field, has touted a range of potential economic benefits, but has said he would support the proposal only if studies show the noise, traffic and economic impacts would be acceptable.

Irons, a county councilman, said yesterday he has been consistent on the issue. He's willing to consider a Southwest operation at Boeing Field, but only if it pays for road improvements — something the airline hasn't offered to do. He has co-sponsored an ordinance that would prohibit spending county money to bring Southwest to Boeing Field.

How can he consider the Southwest "concept" while vowing to kill the Southwest "proposal"?

"Let me define the proposal," Irons said. "The proposal is what Southwest has laid on the table. Southwest has said to King County, 'You give us this land for 50 years, we'll build buildings on it and you'll pay all the road improvements.' No, I'm opposed to that because that is a lose-lose proposition for King County."

If, on the other hand, Southwest made a new offer that covered road costs, he said, the county would be bound by federal regulations to consider the proposal. Airports that accept federal funds are required to consider requests from all kinds of aviation users. "What am I going to do?" Irons said. "Stand in front of the federal troops?"

Victor Barry, president of the Magnolia Community Club, which opposes airliners at Boeing Field, said Irons' recent statements don't change the essential difference between Irons and Sims: "Mr. Irons is more against it and leans against it heavily, whereas Ron Sims leans for it heavily. So obviously our sentiments would be more with Mr. Irons."

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com