Becker: McCarthy's Latest FAA Stunt Does Little to Create Actual Jobs, Provide Airplane Noise Relief

Originally released: July 11, 2012

Legislator Fran Becker, Republican candidate for Congress in New York’s Fourth Congressional District, called out entrenched 16-year incumbent Carolyn McCarthy for a blatant attempt at pandering at her self-serving press conference in Garden City; a mere band-aid to fixing the worst national economy since the Great Depression.

“The Congresswoman doth protest too much me thinks,” said Legislator Becker.    Instead of standing up to the Federal Aviation Administration to demand flight paths be changed to bring about long-needed airplane noise relief for our communities, McCarthy is simply fighting hard at keeping the jobs her campaign’s union contributors.  She obviously has her priorities mixed up.”

“Washington-insiders like Carolyn McCarthy are focused on keeping jobs of just the people who support her and fill her campaign coffers,” said Legislator Becker.  “That’s just not right.  As a small business owner myself, I know what it takes to bring jobs to our communities and improve the local economy.”

“I’m committed to bringing real jobs to the district for the skyrocketing number of our un- and under-employed neighbors – whether they contribute to my campaign or not” continued Legislator Becker.

Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports for “Friends of Carolyn McCarthy” and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) PAC show a clear quid pro quo.  NATCA contributed more than $20,000 to “Friends of Carolyn McCarthy,” the designated re-election campaign for the 68-year old incumbent.

In the 2009-2010 Campaign Cycle, NATCA contributed $3,500 to Friends of Carolyn McCarthy.  In the 2007 – 2008 Campaign Cycle, NATCA contributed $5,000 to Friends of Carolyn McCarthy.  In the 2005-2006 Campaign Cycle, NATCA contributed $10,000 to Friends of Carolyn McCarthy.

“Not only is it sad and unfortunate that Carolyn McCarthy is only interested in saving jobs for friends who have given her thousands of dollars for the past ten plus years, but it’s disgraceful she has been in Congress for close to two decades and can’t seem to persuade the FAA to make desperately needed changes to air traffic patterns,” said Becker for Congress Campaign Manager Hilary Becker.

The Becker Campaign continued to hammer McCarthy for failed promises at working with the FAA and Air Traffic Control to reroute flight paths for aircraft landing at Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports. 

“Day after day, the noise and rumblings from giant jet planes continue to interrupt practically every outdoor event – and inside events too,” said Becker.  “It’s truly unfortunate that our federal representative continues to achieve very little in the way of addressing this problem – it’s a tremendous federal quality of life concern.”

In 2010, McCarthy desperately grabbed headlines by introducing the “Noise Reduction Act of 2010.”  The bill died in Committee and was not even given a hearing.  McCarthy must have given up at addressing this issue; she failed to reintroduce the bill or even attempt to build bipartisan support around the idea in this session of Congress.

In early January 2012 after voting against the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act (HR 658) for, what her spokesman Shams Tarek said was the bill’s “lack of a requirement for formal environmental review for air and noise pollution,” (Source: Elmont Herald, February 15, 2012, “Local Residents, Lawmakers Fight for Safer, Quieter Skies”), McCarthy has not introduced one measure in Congress to remediate these concerns.

“Carolyn McCarthy continues to disappoint; she also fails to address pressing concerns: economic growth for Nassau’s working families in the midst of a staggering local 7.4% unemployment rate,” said Becker for Congress Campaign Manager Hilary Becker.