SAN DIEGO –
Mary Sessom, chairwoman of the San Diego Association of Governments, said yesterday she would remain on a new panel charting the future of Lindbergh Field, saying her initial concerns about the group have been resolved.
Sessom walked out of the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Airport Regional Policy Committee last month to protest the appointment of former state Sen. Steve Peace to the group.
She worried Peace's appointment would taint the group, noting he has been pressing airport officials to build a new terminal and transit hub on the airfield's north side.
She said yesterday that she would return to the panel when it meets Thursday, saying several steps have been taken that “raise my comfort level.”
She said Mayor Jerry Sanders, who heads the 13-member panel, and his staff have agreed to require that the committee members file financial disclosure statements.
Meeting agendas and staff reports will be made available online, inviting greater public scrutiny, she said. Panel meetings may be transmitted on the Web.
The committee is working with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to develop a long-term expansion plan for Lindbergh.
The panel includes representatives from the Port of San Diego and the Metropolitan Transit District, along with the city of San Diego and SANDAG, the region's long-range planning agency.
Sessom also is mayor of Lemon Grove.
Steve Schmidt: (619) 293-1380; steve.schmidt@uniontrib.com
