McCrory can help N.C. metro areas

The passengers boarded the plane, which taxied to the runway and took off, while Gov. Pat McCrory stood waving at the gate.

Now he says it should come back.

In an interview on radio station WFAE Monday, McCrory said the city should continue to own and operate Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

He was just a little late. Four months ago, the legislature approved a bill transferring ownership to a regional authority — over the vehement objection of the Charlotte City Council.

Although the governor had been mayor of Charlotte for 14 years, he stayed out of the fray.

It “would have been nice” if he’d stated his position sooner, Mayor Patsy Kinsey said.

The airport dispute is in a legal holding pattern. The city obtained a court order to stop the transfer and is waiting for final resolution. The Federal Aviation Administration also must approve the new governance structure. But there’s not much the governor can do about that.

Maybe he could have done nothing in the first place. Because the airport bill was a local issue, his signature wasn’t required. But if the Republican governor had voiced objections, Republican legislators might have seen some political risk in going forward with the controversial measure.

And McCrory certainly could have raised valid objections. The airport is well-run and has grown to become one of the nation’s busiest. Legislators’ contention that they acted to stop political interference was nonsense. They were the ones guilty of political meddling by spreading airport control to outlying — and Republican-leaning — counties at the expense of the Democrat-run city government.

What McCrory knows is that airports aren’t Democrat or Republican. They are economic engines that must be professionally operated for everyone’s benefit. There was no good reason to overhaul this one.

While this plane may be out of the hangar, the governor can resolve to stand up for North Carolina’s cities, which this legislature apparently wants to stifle. It has also moved to regionalize Asheville’s airport and water system, to force a major annexation in Durham, to reverse annexations in several other cities, and to neutralize a rental housing inspection program in Greensboro. More of the same can be expected.

As a former leader of the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, McCrory should continue to advocate for urban centers because of their importance to the state’s economy. One of the most dangerous inclinations of the Republican legislature is its desire to hamstring cities, which tend to be led by Democrats.

It has taken steps to limit cities’ ability to grow by weakening annexation laws, curtailing taxing authority or even controlling airports and water systems. The governor should say enough is enough. North Carolina won’t grow unless progressive cities lead the way — as Charlotte did when he was its mayor.

The legislature does have power it can exert over cities, but using that power only for political reasons will hurt the state. The governor should use his influence to check this harmful impulse — before the next plane leaves the gate.