Compromise would rename airport, still honor T.F. Green

Former Rhode Island Gov. and U.S. Sen. Theodore Francis Green still has juice at the State House.

More than a century after he first served in the General Assembly, Green's political allies have beaten back attempts to strip his name from the state airport and are touting a compromise with airport executives who had been looking to rebrand it Rhode Island International Airport.

The new proposed name: "Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport."

"His name belongs on the airport," Rep. Charlene Lima, the most passionate Green defender, told fellow House members this week. "This year I am very happy to report we have reached a consensus to keep his name and call it Rhode Island T.F. Green International. We should never forget our past and great history."

A year ago Cranston Democrat Lima pulled a black and white photo of Green from her desk on the House floor while calling the proposal to remove his name "malarkey." She introduced a floor amendment that would have changed the name to the same "Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport" before lawmakers now, but it was voted down 22 to 51.

Minutes later the House voting machine briefly went dead, with at least one lawmaker warning Green's ghost was behind it. The bill removing his name in favor of Rhode Island International Airport ultimately flew through.

Days later the Senate amended its version of the bill, sponsored by Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey, to match Lima's amendment. But differences between the two chambers couldn't be resolved.

This time around the T.F. Green camp has the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, which initiated the name change drive in the first place, on their side.

"We did not want this debate to turn into a litmus test on the great T.F. Green and unfortunately it took a turn last year," Bill Fischer, the lobbyist and spokesman for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, told the House Corporations Committee on Tuesday. "[The name] is one little variable that will help us turn the airport around and help us better market ourselves."

Lima, lead sponsor of this year's name change bill, told the Corporations Committee that members of T.F. Green's family who had testified against the name change last year were happy with Rhode Island T.F. Green International.

The Senate version of the bill, again introduced by McCaffrey, matches Lima's bill. McCaffrey Wednesday said with the Green family and Airport Corporation in support he expects it to move forward in the Senate this year.

Providence city officials may not be as happy with the proposed compromise. Mayor Jorge Elorza last year said an airport name reflecting the Providence metro area would be more appropriate.

Even with the proposed name change, the airport code for T.F. Green would remain PVD.