Mayor Daley Closed Meigs Last Night!

[Greg Stevens]

In the middle of the NIGHT!

Man, if my plane was stuck there, I would be PISSED! He had construction crews engrave giant x's in the runway to render them useless.

I can understand his reasoning, but he didn't even care to make it known so people could get their planes out of there. Hell, even the air traffic controllers showed up for work this morning...!

I know Dick has had a hard-on for Meigs for quite some time, but I never thought it would end like this...!

Anyone else care to comment?

[meat]

Amazing stuff. This will be in court for awhile I bet.

It's hard to reverse it now since the basically destroyed the runway.

Although you have to admire the guy for being able to make a decision, even if it is one that some don't like.

[Greg Stevens]

Yea, this is going to be a long battle in court...this has pissed off a lot of pilots! They reported that there are 16 planes stranded there, which they MAY be able to use the taxi runway to let the planes fly out on. They also estimated that it cost us 100,000 dollars to do what he did last night...and he also commited us to paying to get those planes out...which God only knows how much that will be.

Just seems like a rash and childish thing to do it the way he did...it won't impact 99% of the people who live in Chicago by it being closed, but the way he did it was just bizarre.

Here's a picture...

[C G]

Damn, it's not even a good autocross site now.

That was a mighty rude way to shut it down.

[Greg Stevens]

haha...yea, no kidding...not much can happen there anymore! One interesting thing that I heard about this was that this airport has been used for transport of organs that are going to be put into someone else, like hearts, lungs, etc...perhaps they should have one last organ...Daley needs a brain transplant ASAP! Hopefully it won't be from Abby Normal...(get the reference, anyone?)

It was really an act of cowardice that he did it like this. Like I said, it's not often used, but calling in construction crews in the middle of a Sunday night?? That's just a cheap political ploy to get what he wants. Not quite as cheap as George Ryan's null and voiding all the perps on death row the day before his term expired, but it's pretty damn close!

Chicago politics...I guess nothing changes...EVER! Same old crap, just different people on the stage...

[Urmil]

The runway is also supposed to be used in a lot of escape planning for city residents during a acity crisis....I also read that while it offers a route out for those needing to leave in a hurry, it also offers a close runway in for those bringing in aid....

Daley did this in haste and for the 'good' of the city in terms of protecting it and the people against attacks, but I sincerely think he did more harm then good. Also think about all the VIP's (corporate, famous, athletes, etc) that have used that runway to get to and from the city. I think Daley just lost the city some "cool" points. Now those famous people must drudge through the OHare or Midway airports, or come into Palwaukee and have to be chauffered in to the city.

All the flying that I did a couple years back, I never ran into Oprah or any corporate VIP's...because they used airports like Meigs and Palwaukee. Remember Daley's other intention, O'Hare expansion.

This was such a childish move. I hope this comes back to bite him in the ass.

[WestSideBilly]

Does Daley want to develop the land? Or what's the deal?

[meat]

He wants to turn the land into a park.

Frankly, how many big cities have a small airstrip in the city center?? O'Hare, Midway and many other smaller fields are within an hour of the Loop and even a half hour if you travel on off-peak hours.

Running a city like Chicago doesn't take "cool" points - it takes the balls to get things done. And while Daley is in the wrong national party - he has brought much good to the City of Chicago during his term.

My take is that in a year, no one will miss Meigs.

[Greg Stevens]

Well, he *may* want a park, but I have also heard he may want a casino! The question really becomes an issue of taxes. At least Meigs had the 'potential' to bring revenue into the ever-increasing tax situation in this city...and the casino idea will most certainly bring in oodles of cash. But a park has no potential whatsoever to bring in tax revenue - at least no where near the scale that a casino or airport can. So to me, the casino idea, while I don't gamble (not for any reason other than I think it's giant waste of money), may be a good choice for a lifelong politican who wants to have an ever-increasing budget for pet projects, like Millenium Park, which is what, 150 million dollars over budget?

Chicago really is one of the most beautiful big cities that I have ever known and I give Dick a lot of credit for that. But looking good and running good are not the same thing. If Dick were running a business with all these huge cost overruns, he would have been fired years ago. But he's part of the Chicago Monarchy and will be elected every time he runs.

You are probably right, Brad, give it a year or two and very few people will miss the airport...but Dick will miss the revenue (however meager it is/was) and will have to come up with another creative way to get into our wallets. Parks don't do that. Casinos do...and they do that very well. But it also brings in all the other undesireable elements along with it.

My beef with the whole thing was that he did this under the cover of night and now he's being castigated in the press - which is good, he deserves to be called a jackass for such a cheap political subterfuge.

[WestSideBilly]

I suspect Meigs was not a money making business, Greg. The revenues generated from a small private airport are pretty meager compared to the costs to operate it. That doesn't justify Daley's actions, though...

Park - is he trying to entice people to move to the south side? A big park probably won't make a difference. And it's not like Chicago doesn't already have a giant park on the Lake.

Casino - this makes more sense. Everyone is looking at casinos and other forms of gambling as "easy" revenue. Indiana has pretty much sold their soul to the gambling lobby, it wouldn't surprise me if Chicago is seeing the same thing. I'm sure they see all the traffic heading for the riverboats in Gary/East Chicago and drool over all the "free" income a giant Casino would bring.

[desmo4]

Daley is just as big a gangster as his old man.

Jonathan

[Ulrich]

Hey now! Everybody knows "THERE IS NO MOB IN CHICAGO!"

(After all, Al's H.Q. was located in Cicero. Technically not part of Chicago.)

[Greg Stevens]

Well, now that the ex mayor of Cicero, what is her name...Maltese, or something along those lines, is behind bars, it appears that Mob that made this town famous is back in power at the Daley Center. I just saw a report on CLTV (Yes, I know, I am the only person in Chicago that watches that channel...!) and as expected, it's in the courts now with the group "Friends of Meigs Field" is challenging the head mobster, Dick, on the whole closure process. I hope he gets nailed...not because I'll ever use Meigs, but because I think it was a completely jackassed maneuver to close the field down like he did. The more I think about it, the more it angers me. People who abuse their power and don't expect to be held accountable really chap my ass.

[desmo4]

AOPA launched a big effort to turn this gangster act around. I'm a pilot but I will probably never use Meggs Field either.
Georga St Penitentiary is where the SOB Daley belongs to continue the heritage of the other great criminals of the 20th century.

Jonathan

[gravit]

Originally posted by Greg Stevens
Daley needs a brain transplant ASAP! Hopefully it won't be from Abby Normal...(get the reference, anyone?)

Young Frankenstein One of the greatest movies of all time . . .

I don't live anywhere near Chicago, so I don't know what you all are talking about, but that's some crazy stuff. I know I'd be pissed if our Mayor did something like that. It's not just Chicago though. Here's what our last governor did. There was a certain law that was going through the houses, and he fought and fought to get an ammendment to it that a city could override the law if it wanted. Well, he got it, and the law passed with that ammendment. Then, HE took the law to the state supreme court saying it was unconstitutional. Wanna guess what part was unconstitutional? Yep, the part that says a city could override it; the part he put in. That sneaky, underhanded . . . Well, he's gone now, but I'll never trust a politition.

[Greg Stevens]

Former Chicago Mayor, Jane Byrne (who wanted to have a grand prix up and down Lake Shore Drive, btw) wrote a scathing open letter about Mayor Dick. I thought it was intersteding...this little Dick is a power hungry tyrant with no compunction about breaking the law. Here is the letter, lifted from the Sun Times web site...oh, how I despise that man!

Here's the letter...

Dear editor: In a recent letter to the editor, a Chicagoan graciously suggested that a public park or monument be named in my honor, as a tribute to my achievements as the 41st mayor of Chicago, including, among other things, initiating Taste of Chicago, the Blues, Gospel and Jazz Fests and the neighborhood festivals. The writer further suggested that it be Meigs Field.

I am flattered, but I do not want the midnight butchery of Meigs Field associated with my name. As are most Chicago residents, I am still angry about what happened in the darkness of the early morning hours of March 31.

Primarily, I am appalled at the arrogant disregard of due process by whoever ordered the destruction. Due process of law, the most fundamental, precious constitutional right of all citizens, even Chicagoans, was purposely ignored. I say purposely because a few hours after the destruction, the administration stated that its irrational actions had "prevented the issue from being tied up in the courts." We are a nation governed by laws, not individuals, and no public servant has the right to place personal opinion or convenience before the laws.

Secondly, Chicagoans want the truth. The explanation that the attack on Meigs took place because the City had lost its lease with the Park District is outright deceitful. Surely the administration knew that under the terms of its month-to-month lease, enacted by a City Council ordinance, the lease could not be terminated until the first day of the month following written notice of termination. Meigs was destroyed before its lease was up. There was no valid or legal basis to strand a dozen cardiologists here when their patients may have needed them at home.

Personally, I was shocked and saddened at the sight of the Chicago police escorting the wrecking crews onto the field and being directed to stand guard as they watched city property being vandalized and destroyed. The official giving that order showed callous disrespect to those officers, whose role it is to protect public property, not to assist in its destruction.

No, I do not want my name associated with the Meigs Field massacre.

I would, however, appreciate it if the mayor would stop treating other public structures, particularly those with my name on them, in the same shabby and sneaky manner as he treated Meigs Field. I offer three examples:

In 1982, my administration placed two fountains in the medians on Wacker Drive, near its intersection with Wabash. Their placement was similar to the concrete flower and shrub planters nowadays so favored by Mayor Daley on many of the boulevards. Wacker is quite wide at the intersection, and the fountains in no way obstructed traffic patterns.

The Vietnam Veterans fountain was dedicated on Veterans Day, 1982. It was the first public memorial in the nation dedicated solely to those who served and died in the Vietnam War. It was a solemn and moving dedication ceremony, held on a cold, gray November day. Cardinal Bernardin blessed the fountain and blessed the list of all those from the Chicago area who died in the war. The list of names and personal letters of gratitude from then-president Reagan and from me on behalf of the people of Chicago were placed in a time capsule imbedded in the fountain. As I looked at the faces of the vets and families who had given their loved ones, who stood shivering in the cold and rain, I could see how they still hurt, and I hoped that the long overdue recognition and appreciation that the fountain symbolized would, in some very small way, help them begin to heal. As taps played and the fountain began to spray its bubbling water, tears began streaming down their faces. I can never forget that moment.

In 1996 the Daley administration removed the plaque bearing the fountain's name and 1982 dedication date, and replaced it with one dated 1996 bearing Mayor Daley's name. Not coincidentally, the removed 1982 dedication plaque bore my name and my then-title of mayor. The original plaque has been "lost," and the time capsule vanished when the Daley administration yanked the fountain out during the Wacker Drive reconstruction. No public official has the right to wipe out 14 years of history. That fountain belonged to the Vietnam veterans, and its historical significance as the first public tribute to those who gave their lives in that war belongs to the people of Chicago.

The second fountain located on Wacker Drive is the Children's Fountain. It was located at the exact spot where Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago indicated a fountain should be sited. When the City of Chicago's planning department disclosed its plan for the reconstruction of Wacker Drive, there were at first no plans to include either the Vietnam Veterans Fountain or the Children's Fountain. This was rather unusual, since the Planning Department's comprehensive plan for this massive project included relocation instructions for all of the other structures being moved.

After many protests, the planning department said it would find a place for the Vietnam Veterans fountain. A portion of it--minus the time capsule or any indication of whom it honors--has been tucked away and hidden between the beautiful, but massive, Patriots sculpture and the river. It cannot be seen by passersby unless they have specific directions. It has been removed from the "War Memorials" guide on the City's Web site.

The Children's Fountain has now been waiting three years to be relocated, although it could easily have remained where Daniel Burnham wanted it. The children of Chicago are not a voting bloc, but they deserved to see and splash in the fountain named in their honor.

The last of the three disappearing structures is the Water Tower Clock. It was a very valuable cast iron street clock donated to the city by the First National Bank of Chicago. It sat happily and properly in Water Tower Park, harming no one. It was helpful to people rushing by on Michigan Avenue, who might look up at it to check the time. When the Daley administration decided to renovate the park, the first item attacked by the bulldozer was the valuable street clock. It is gone.

In light of all these examples of public property destroyed by this administration, I would again like to thank the writer for suggesting that something be named after me, but I imagine that whatever might be built would not be allowed to last very long. I take great pride in the pleasure that many of my contributions still give to Chicagoans, and that is tribute enough.

Jane M. Byrne

[C G]

I think the honorable Jane M. Byrne needs the job again.

[WestSideBilly]

I agree 110% with CG.


Heck - even Greg could do better than Dick!

[Greg Stevens]

Well, the last thing I need is a job running for political office...you know, all those pesky background checks and everything.

But yea, anytime that Dick's Dynasty would come tumbling would be a good time.

So, let's petition Jane to run again! Dick will run until he's dead, but maybe we could have a GP here!!