NORWICH – The four most conservative members of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors sided with the county attorney Monday in voting against a new business coming to the airport.

Chairman of the Board and Town of North Norwich Supervisor Richard B. Decker, Town of Greene Supervisor Jack T. Cook, Town of Pitcher Supervisor Jeffrey B. Blanchard and Town of Oxford Supervisor Lawrence Wilcox were the only lawmakers who opposed leasing t-hangar space at the Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport to a business that refurbishes airplane interiors.

The decision to lease, after a vote of 17 to 4 with two absent, came after six months of deliberation between the county and the owners of Plane Leather Repair, Inc. It involved several meetings of the Airport Steering Committee and two rounds of referrals, including one to the Finance Committee where an executive session ensued and the company was ultimately turned down. The sticking point was the amount of insurance coverage the company would be required to carry.

At the meeting on Monday, Chenango County Attorney Richard B. Breslin, acting upon the advice of Mang Insurance Agency, said he stood by his original recommendation that the company carry $5 million in coverage. The Oxford Supervisor, who is also chairman of the Finance Committee, said he “would be remiss for going against” the advice of the county’s attorney “who we pay to give opinions.”