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Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport spent $13,000 putting up temporary lighting for President Donald Trump’s October visit there to campaign for Martha McSally.
Airport Executive Director Brian O’Neill informed the airport authority about the emergency expense during its November meeting.
According to airport staff, the Trump campaign was supposed to arrange for lighting of the parking area during the rally, which was not hosted by the airport and was held at a private tenant’s air hangar.
When the campaign didn’t come through with the promised lighting, the airport and city of Mesa decided to pay for it to avoid what O’Neill said could have been a liability if people couldn’t see their way to their cars after the rally.
The airport’s share of the cost was $13,000. Mesa spokesman Kevin Christopher said in an email that the city was still compiling final numbers on the costs associated with the presidential visit and did not have a breakdown of what the city had spent.
The airport is seeking reimbursement from the campaign. We reached out to campaign officials for a response but have not received one. We’ll update this story if we do.
Meanwhile, O’Neill commended the staff who made sure the airport had the necessary bandwidth to make sure cellphones wouldn’t go down during the event. Airport authority chairman and Apache Junction Mayor Jeff Serdy commended the Mesa Police Department for managing the crowed, estimated at 6,000 people on the airport grounds and another 6,000 outside.
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