SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott has finally filled its vacant seat on the Massachusetts Port Authority (MassPort) Community Advisory Committee with the appointment of Alice Stein.
The 41-member Community Advisory Committee (CAC) advises MassPort, the agency that runs Logan Airport. Before Stein was appointed by the Select Board last week, the town’s seat on the committee had been vacant for more than a year.
“The biggest point of interest for me is I think it’s important for Swampscott to have a seat at the table when discussing the implications of air traffic,” said Stein, when explaining why she was drawn to the position.
There is always conversation about noise pollution from aircraft, she said, but there is also air pollution to consider. As a former Winthrop resident, Stein said she experienced very high levels of air traffic first-hand, and wanted to ensure Swampscott was involved in those discussions.
“I think it’s important to be able to address those things publicly,” said Stein, 42. “And my goal is to understand the implications of increased air traffic on health, and seeing how we can mitigate those issues preemptively.”
For the past six years, MassPort has been studying noise levels for aircraft arriving and departing Logan in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The goal is to study “community noise exposure” for Greater Boston communities surrounding the airport and find ways to reduce it. Initial efforts launched by the study allowed MassPort to reduce noise by having pilots adjust the series of turns they take approaching Logan or alter takeoff speeds.
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald recommended Stein’s appointment after speaking with four candidates who had responded to the town’s posting for the vacancy.
To be considered, applicants were required to have experience in one of five areas: aircraft operations, environmental affairs, labor relations, public health, or port operations.
“Alice was selected not just because of her background in labor relations and understanding of public health, but because of her commitment to and interest in becoming thoroughly educated on the operations of MassPort, changes to flight equipment and navigation systems that have altered flight paths, and to serve as the resident flight expert,” said Fitzgerald in his recommendation letter.
“In meeting with (Stein), it was clear that she had a strong base of knowledge of the news coming out of the CAC, particularly regarding a recent study produced by MIT which explores altering flight paths.”
Stein has been a resident of Swampscott for more than a year, and has labor relations experience from working with Randstad, the world’s largest staffing company. She has also served as the public relations chair of the American Staffing Association, and in both roles, has experience dealing with complex labor relations issues in the public sector, Fitzgerald said.
Citing her background in both communication and biology, Stein said she saw the CAC seat as a “great culmination of my roles.
“I think it’s something that was a personal calling of mine,” she said.
Fitzgerald called Stein a “talented professional,” and said he had no doubt that she would be a strong advocate for Swampscott on the panel.
“(I was) very impressed with her passion for environmental ecological justice,” said Fitzgerald. “Frankly, we could use her skill set on a number of committees.”
As part of her role, Stein will work collaboratively with the town’s community and economic development director, Marzie Galazka, and will be expected to report back to the Select Board periodically to ensure that any CAC vote she casts will reflect the views of the Swampscott community.
