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Tukwil <br />By Karla Thomas <br />STAFF WRITER <br />The Tukwila City Council de- <br />layed until next week a eci- <br />sion to contribute up to <br />$100,000 to fight the third run- <br />way. ut members voted 6 to 1 <br />in favor of continued support <br />for the Regional Commission on <br />Airport Affairs after a long dis- <br />cussion. <br />Although the body came close <br />to voting on the size of contri- <br />bution, if any, Council member <br />Dennis Robertson withdrew his <br />motion to give $100,000 when <br />he learned that the money <br />would better go directly to the <br />newly formed legal defense <br />fund rather than the RCAA. <br />The council heard more than <br />three hours of ardent public <br />testimony from 25 people oma. <br />the issue of joining the area <br />cities in puttingtheir wallet <br />where their mouth is in hiring <br />a Washington D.C. law firm to <br />fight airport expansion. <br />Councilman Joe Duffle op <br />posed both the contribution and <br />fighting the third runway. <br />The is sue was complicated <br />when Council member Joan <br />Hernandez discovered that <br />Mayor John Rants included a <br />survey on the issue in the latest <br />city newsletter mailed out to <br />residents in Tukwila. <br />Rants failed to consult with <br />the council., syit g that he <br />wanted to see the results for <br />himself what people wanted. <br />"I don't think my role is <br />based on the results of a sur- <br />vey," ; Council member Dennis <br />Robertson said. "We need to <br />band together to get a big club <br />— in this case a law firm." <br />stays <br />Rants put the council's name <br />on the survey after Council <br />member Steve Lawrence <br />okayed it after discovering it <br />was to b i mailed out in; way.. <br />"It's hard to cooperate when, <br />I'm usurping power from these. <br />people," he said undicatin, the <br />counci z <br />Mimu",t citizens spoke againati <br />the third runway in the l ar�w <br />ing, but some questioned the <br />use of city moriey to pers vere <br />in a fight that could be left to <br />affected property owners. <br />Business owners re m r raised <br />taxes to support the battle. <br />Paul Sealy of Boeing warned <br />that the area will need jobs to <br />fill losses elsewhere. <br />"We're going to spend the <br />money on the front end or the <br />back end," said resident Bill <br />Scheffler of Tukwila. <br />Des Moines Mayor Richard <br />Kennedy and Normandy Park <br />Mayor Stewart Creighton <br />pleaded the RCAA's case for 20 <br />minutes, following a presenta- <br />tion by Port of Seattle Manager <br />of Aviation Planning Michael <br />Feldman. <br />Feldman said the third run- <br />way was necessary because fre- <br />quent poor weather decreased <br />visual range and increase in- <br />strument flight rule landings. <br />"It's a matter of capacity in <br />bad weather that the third run- <br />way addresses," he said. <br />Creighton said government <br />agencies such as the Puget <br />Sound Regional Council <br />haven't listened to the RCAA in <br />the past. <br />Just because the RCAA ` is <br />hiring attorneys, does not <br />"guarantee litigation." <br />"We cab <br />at a public ; <br />us," he said, <br />ybrrdy, even <br />o llµ teu is <br />