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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.
Scott Elliott is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He writes about education, city and suburban issues, politics, business, workforce and consumer issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > July > 26 > Entry
Editorial; Shuttle vote right for all, not just Dayton
In a front-page headline Friday, July 23, a newspaper near Florida’s Kennedy Space Center said “KSC Bid for Orbiter Hits Snag in House.”
The snag, which was good news for Dayton and Ohio, also happened to be good policy-making from a national viewpoint.
It certainly didn’t mean that Dayton will get the retired space shuttle it wants as a tourist attraction. But it does mean that Dayton remains in the running. And the selection process won’t necessarily be hopelessly distorted by the political power wielded by legislators from Florida and Texas, who have long focused on space matters.
The House Science and Technology Committee was considering the annual bill on NASA, the space agency. A version had been drafted by the committee leadership and staff. Not long before the deadline for submitting amendments to the draft, Ohio congressional staffers noticed a minor provision. It said that, in distributing the shuttles that are becoming available for display, NASA should give preference to communities with a “historical relationship with either the launch, flight operation or processing” of shuttles.
In other words, forces from Florida and/or Texas were trying to get a leg up.
The office of Rep. Charlie Wilson, a Democratic committee member from eastern Ohio, got busy. Rep. Mike Turner, not a member of the committee, called fellow Republicans who are on the committee. Michael Gessel, the Dayton Development Coalition’s man in Washington, provided staff work.
In the end, the committee’s 18-14 vote to undo the preference for Florida and Texas - a vote which surprised some advocates - wasn’t primarily a triumph of Ohio over those states. A lot of other states want to be in the running for the shuttle, too.
The vote represented a rare uprising against committee leadership. It was the closest vote on any amendment; usually amendments win big with leadership support or lose big with leadership opposition.
The Ohioans approached the fight the right way. They didn’t offer an amendment that would have favored Ohio by, say, giving an edge to a community connected to the “development” of the shuttles. (Some such work was done at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base). They basically left the choice of sites up to the head of NASA.
Also “geographical diversity” was added as a criterion.
This doesn’t mean that Congress is now out of the action. The legislative process isn’t complete. A pending Senate bill has a provision much like the original House provision. And, anyway, members of Congress find indirect ways to have impact, given their power over agencies’ budgets.
Still, in the end, a statement that Congress as a whole doesn’t want to limit consideration to Florida and Texas would be useful.
Dayton has a stellar case in the battle to bring a shuttle to the Air Force Museum: the popularity and importance of the free museum; the need for the space program to be visible in the Midwest; the crucial role of aviation in the history and economy of Dayton and Ohio. And Dayton has the Air Force behind it.
But other communities have their cases, too. NASA Director Charles Bolden (who did four shuttle flights himself) has a tough decision.
The decision should be decided on merit, not the outcome of a congressional brawl between states and sections of the country.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: City of Dayton, Local History, Martin Gottlieb, National government, Wright Patterson Air Force Base
Comments
By Max
July 26, 2010 10:58 AM | Link to this
While I understand the commentary and its observations, I guess I just don’t see the signifance of all this attention to have a retired space shuttle installed at the museum while other pressing financial/sociological issues abound. This may be just a difference in focus; one faction wants to preserve the past (Dayton’s and others’) while others prefer to be forward looking while aware of Dayton’s historical contributions. It may be Dayton’s focus should be on things and entity’s which produce jobs rather than iconographical objects being fought over in the Congress. This is beginning to look like a fight between siblings over who gets the late grandma’s jewelry.
By NCF
July 26, 2010 11:18 AM | Link to this
Max, You don’t think the local economy would get a boost if the shuttle lands here? Yes, it would not directly produce jobs; but it would stimulate a climate which should draw more tech companies. Why? Because tech companies could use that association as a draw, in some instances. If the City of Dayton would re-think their taxes and overspending, that would also be an enticement for more jobs. No reason to not try to get a shuttle here, in my opinion. Don’t think there aren’t other projects being worked either. Attempting to get a shuttle is not exclusive of other efforts of focus.
By Max
July 26, 2010 11:55 AM | Link to this
NCF, I don’t know the answers to your questions and I don’t think other people do either. It’s speculative in a time when we need some focused, unified efforts to get Dayton to a point where if people want to show up here to see the shuttle, then they’ll also have other places to patronize other than fast food chains and convenient/friendly areas outside of Dayton like the Green. I think the priorites in this case are more weighted in the symbolic rather than substance. While I won’t go so far as to say the shuttle fight is a waste, I do believe the military industrial complex - long after the Cold War - is a part of our entire economic fabric which I suspect does entail a lot of waste. Check the cost per hour of flight for the 3 FA-18’s overflights of sporting events and parades. We needed close air support in Afghanistan, not at the ball park for 15 seconds. I guess that’s my larger concern; DOD’s presence becoming larger and larger in the Dayton area. There is a reckoning point called BRAC…..
By Paul H
July 27, 2010 12:01 AM | Link to this
Max, I suspect that you haven’t been to any of the city manager’s neighborhood meetings concerning the city budget. I have and I truly don’t think they’re wasting any money. They simply don’t have it to waste. As for the shuttle, I really think it will help boost tourism to the area and thereby help the job situation, even if it is only in the service industry.
By fortressdayton
July 27, 2010 12:26 AM | Link to this
It would be nice to have a shuttle at the Museum, but it is not something that is going to change the economy of the area or even the drive thru numbers at the local McDonalds. I am a history buff, but Dayton’s future (if it has one) is not in static displays and naming everything after the Wright Brothers. Sorry, if that hurts some feelings, but Dayton is not the be-all, end-all of aviation or innovation. Time to evolve.
By ironmyke
July 27, 2010 7:57 AM | Link to this
It’s amazing what naysayers can use as a reason to criticize.
By Tony Sculimbrene
July 27, 2010 9:05 AM | Link to this
Landing a shuttle at the National Museum of the United States Air Force is a priority project for the National Aviation Heritage Alliance. The shuttle is a vehicle that is familiar to not just one generation but two given the fact that it has been involved in highly visible missions over the past three decades. It is widely recognized not just in the US but around the world. If just a fraction of those who are familiar with the shuttle come to Dayton to see it, you are talking about a visitor pool in the millions. That will create a large economic impact on the Dayton region and it is the principal reason why cities all around the nation would like to host a shuttle. As for the dwelling on the past, I can assure all of the readers of this column that is the last thing on the minds of the trustees who guide the National Aviation Heritage Alliance. This group is looking forward to the future and how to use all of its assets to create a better community. Tony Sculimbrene Executive Director National Aviation Heritage Alliance
By Max
July 27, 2010 11:42 AM | Link to this
Paul, my concern isn’t the city on this one issue. Actually, I think the city is opening - albeit, as you say, forceably due to budget constrictions - better dialogues centering on ‘self-help’ initiatives. The shuttle issue is a different concern; how long have we looked at external things that would boost tourism and business only to have them fall short? I’m not objecting to the shuttle in particular, but to those who look for one, or a few, magic pills to improve the area. Dayton, no matter how much we want to believe it, is not a tourism destination; that is, a place where out of state people take vacations for a week or so. That is not our strength. Paul, this was and is the same debate and dialogue that took place 20 tears ago by city and county commissions. Some people just gave up out of frustration. We can’t do that now. I think the City Manager has the right idea; first, we have to keep Dayton money in Dayton (what little of it we have). That establishes a foundation from which to build and develop more small business enterprises. I do think there’s considerable positive efforts being done at the community level which, in my memory, hasn’t really been done since the Oregon District project decades ago. Yes, I agree, the shuttle would be nice but to argue this in congress with other pressing issues locally is an effort disproportionate to any local gain.
By Max
July 27, 2010 11:55 AM | Link to this
Tony, I fully appreciate your point of view in the global significance of the shuttle as an engineering feat which only the SR-71 comes close to approaching in design and materials. Where I have the problem is the ‘if we build it they will come’ thing. As I wrote to Paul, Dayton IS NOT a tourist destination. People who visit here - whether at WPAFB or relatives in the area - I would agree take in the museum. That is just a reality outside of your valid historical concerns. Dayton, and its surrounding communities, is basically aware of its past achievements in flight and industry. These are times which challenge us all to establish a community legacy for the future from where we are now. If the shuttle comes here and attracts more visitors to the museum, then great. That isn’t a great help to communities struggling with property values or small businesses getting a start to shape the future. Keep in mind Tony, it was just a small bicycle shop that was the platform for powered, sustained flight in 1903; not a museum.
By Max
July 27, 2010 12:00 PM | Link to this
By the way, Tony, if historical things relative to Dayton are a concern, then why can’t we get back the original Wright Bicycle shop from the Ford Motor Company? Now, THAT would have some local, historical sigificance.
By not k
July 27, 2010 8:51 PM | Link to this
I’d like to see Dayton start a museum dedicated to trains. Perhaps it could be located in the Arcade.