Helena Mayor Jim Smith in a meeting Wednesday sought to clarify past comments he made to Helena Regional Airport officials an agreement to move Blue Cross Blue Shield employees to a new building on airport property in coming years.

In a meeting last week with city commissioners and Lewis and Clark County commissioners, airport manager Ron Mercer said Smith had said the city would support the deal. Smith was out of town and missed last week's meeting.

On Wednesday, Smith said he had "brief conversations" with Mercer and another airport official and told them he personally thought the airport's governing board was acting within its authority to execute the deal. He said he never vouched for the rest of the commission.

"I don't know if I said that," Smith said. "It's not what I meant to say.

"It'd be a rare day that I try to commit the city to anything or even predict what this commission would do," he added.

Other city commissioners have questioned the board's legal ability to make land-use decisions that might require infrastructure improvements at taxpayers' expense. City Attorney David Nielsen has said he believes the board doesn't need the commission's blessing to make those decisions.

Commissioners Paul Cartwright and Alan Peura said they appreciated Smith's clarification. The commission's two other members were absent from the discussion.

Reporter Larry Kline: 447-4075 or larry.kline@heleanir.com