Pia was referring to a bipartisan letter, dated July 11 and signed by himself and his nine colleagues. Pia and five of her fellow aldermen are Republicans like Hoydick, with the other four members being registered Democrats. They’ve asked their 20 Bridgeport counterparts — all Democrats — to ‘reject a bid from the Connecticut Airport Authority’ and create an open bidding process that will give the city of Stratford the chance to buy the ‘airport”.

In recent years, the Democratic administration of Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim has sought ways to revive scheduled commercial passenger service at Sikorsky, which currently serves business, charter and private jets. This effort resulted in talks to sell or lease the facility to CAAwhich operates Bradley International and five other state-owned airports and which CAA and Bridgeport officials say has the expertise and resources to restore passenger service.

In February, the CAA Board of Directors made a formal offer of $10 million for Sikorsky and in March Hoydick’s administration has made public its interest, ultimately putting $13 million on the table. But in early May, the Sikorsky Airport Authority voted in favor of the CAA’s proposal, the details of which are being finalized. forward to Bridgeport City Council for review and final approval.

Daniel Roach, Ganim’s assistant who worked on the sale of the airport, said on Tuesday the goal was to get the deal to the legislature in early September.

Roach dismissed the persistence of the Hoydick administration.

“It didn’t work out with the airport commission, so they’re trying to work with the city council now,” he said, adding, “The CAA is in the best position to work with the Federal Aviation Administration. to speed up the process (to relaunch regular commercial passenger service), more than if the city remained the owner or if Stratford became the owner.

The letter from Stratford council members in Bridgeport echoes the same arguments Hoydick has made in recent months – that Windsor Locks-based CAA will be an upstate “far” owner while Stratford officials will be more sensitive and more responsive to local interests and concerns.

One question is whether this sensitivity will lead to a reduction or absence of commercial passenger flights given the opposition some in Stratford have expressed over the years to expanding operations at Sikorsky.

“Stratford will never allow commercial flights,” Bridgeport City Councilman Matthew McCarthy, co-chair of the contracts committee that is expected to review any sale, said Tuesday. “They say they are (volunteers). Will never happen.”

But Hoydick in an interview Tuesday disagreed, stressing that she is not against commercial passenger service.

“I know it’s a good sounding phrase that Stratford wants to freeze the airport in perpetuity,” she said. She compared Sikorsky to New Haven-owned and privately run Tweed, which hosts commercial flights.

“I think we have opportunities to do what Tweed did,” Hoydick said.

The mayor of Stratford, however, acknowledged another fear – that the sale of Bridgeport to the CAA would render null and void previous agreements between the town and his city preventing runway extensions.

“That would be my concern,” she said.

Stratford Council also noted in its letter that the town “offers more funds than CAA”.

But Roach has always maintained that the sale of an airport is not like a normal real estate transaction, with the site going to the highest bidder. Under federal guidelines, the city can’t make a profit, but only get back what it can prove it’s invested over the years in Sikorsky, which Roach says is the maximum of $10 million. offered by the CAA.

“The $13 million figure (from Stratford) sounds more appealing than $10 million, but the fact is that $10 million is the amount the city will be allowed to keep regardless,” Roach said Tuesday.

“There is an ancillary property adjacent to the airport that Stratford would be interested in purchasing,” Hoydick said, explaining the reasoning behind the $13 million offer. Bridgeport has significant wetlands around Sikorsky.

State Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford, is a longtime Ganim ally who works part-time for Bridgeport but also represents the neighborhood where Sikorsky is located. Gresko on Tuesday encouraged Bridgeport council to consider Hoydick’s offer.

“Stratford can be the master of its own destiny in the future as the owner appeals to me,” he said.

Gresko added that he doesn’t want to see Sikorsky expanded “outside of its current footprint” and would like that to be in writing in any agreement Bridgeport makes with the CAA or another entity.

Two other Bridgeport council members who could influence that body’s decision also weighed in on Tuesday.

Scott Burns is Co-Chair of the Board’s Economic Development Committee.

“I think CAA is probably the preferred option, but it doesn’t hurt to look at all the options,” Burns said.

Jeanette Herron is Co-Chair of the Contracts Committee. She said she would consider leasing Sikorsky to CAA, but opposes selling it.

“I don’t like to see the airport given away or taken away,” Herron said. “I think Bridgeport should keep him.”

One of the Ganim administration’s arguments for the sale – that the airport was continually losing money and straining the municipal budget – was recently eliminated when the city negotiated a new, more profitable lease with long-time tenant Atlantic Aviation.