Monday, November 23, 2009

Settlement gives O'Hare freedom to expand


There may be no wall to tear down; no gate to unlock, but the out-of-court settlement between  Chicago and Bensenville is huge for the Chicago area.

The City of Chicago is now free to expand O'Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.

Suburban leaders have put roadblocks in the path of O'Hare improvements, possibly since O'Hare opened in the early 1960's. But now, they have decided to step aside.

The Village of Bensenville and its new Village President Frank Soto, who defeated longtime O'Hare expansion foe John Geils last April, settled with Chicago for $16 million.

On Monday, Nov. 16, the City agreed to pay the village of Bensenville in exchange for dropping long-standing legal challenges against O'Hare. The city is now free to raze an estimated 500 homes in the path of new runways.

Peotone held to a different standard

When land was purchased for new runways, the City of Chicago honored a court order that prohibited buying property and demolishing homes until expansion plans were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

That has not been the case in nearby Peotone. In 2001, ex-Gov. George Ryan made a deal with a campaign contributor, who sold the state the first piece of land for what he and his IDOT cronies called a "protective land buy." The parcels were the undeveloped lots in an upscale housing development outside the airport boundaries. When Ryan left office, the parcels were released from the project.

The sale of that first piece gave Ryan his intended result. It was enough to scare some property owners into selling their land to the state. They employed additional techniques, such as threats of condemnation to coerce additional sales of family homes and farms. IDOT wasted no time in calling out the bulldozers to demolish what appeared to be perfectly livable homes and barns, speculating that one day they would build the South Suburban Airport.

But to this day, the Federal Aviation Administration has not approved the Peotone Airport. As far as that agency is concerned, the Peotone airport is not officially a project. That is likely why the state has not used its powers of condemnation. To do so would require proof that an airport project is imminent.

Resolutions signed by several towns and townships adjacent to the airport project as well as organizations against further land acquisition until a project is approved,  have been largely ignored by county and  legislative leaders, IDOT officials, and several governors.

All the folks of eastern Will County want are the same protections that Chicago afforded suburban O'Hare residents in the path of O'Hare expansion.

 O'Hare foes tied to Peotone

The Peotone project has been tied with O'Hare foes since funds were first awarded in the amount of $500,000 to the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association for airport capacity studies in '85.

Powerful legislators endorsed the Peotone plan as a means of cutting off O'Hare. Bensenville's former president, Geils had been one of the voices that have remained steadfast since those early days of the push for Peotone. He was involved in the once-powerful Suburban O'Hare Commission that was made up of several towns in the northwest suburbs, who saw a new airport as the remedy to their noise and pollution problems.

Over the years, the towns around O'Hare realized that continual lawsuits against Chicago and its airport were costly and not in their best interests. O'Hare was an economic engine that affected far more than Chicago. It was a benefit to their towns as well. As they saw that O'Hare was an asset they eventually dropped out of the Suburban O'Hare Commission. Soon, the only ones left were Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.

Immediately following last April's election when Geils was ousted by voters, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson dropped plans to continue the fight against O'Hare.


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Illinois to go for a Cargo Airport?


Are Illinois officials serious about turning the incredible shrinking airport planned in eastern Will County, Illinois, just 40 miles south of Chicago, into a cargo airport?

AllianceTexas DevelopmentIDOT's latest metamorphosis that went from an initial plan to build a mega-airport more than 3 times the size of O'Hare International Airport, to a one-runway commercial facility has now shifted toward a cargo airport. At least that was the gist of a recent news story in DC Velocity Magazine.

The magazine reported, that Will County and the State of Illinois would develop a cargo airport as part of an ambitious multimodal transport complex that would include up to four intermodal rail yards, access to three interstate highways, and up to 135 million square feet of industrial warehousing and distribution space.

This must be IDOT's latest we'll do anything, draw-at-straws option. A cargo airport would be risky, and costly. Only one such airport exists in the world.

Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth, Texas

Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth, Texas, is not just an airport. It is an entire one-of-a kind devel-opment built by Ross Perot, Jr. The airport is owned by the City of Fort Worth, but managed by Alliance Air Services.

The airport is a small part of the development plan which includes 17,000 acres of industrial warehousing, residential communities, corporate living, apartments, hotels, shopping, and even proximity to NASCAR's Texas International Speedway. The plan was so meticulous that it has even inventoried the 36,166 trees on the site. This is the world's first and presently the only in-dustrial airport.

The 5,900-acre airport opened in 1989. Since that time, it has become home to a collection of government, national, and international corporations. There are presently between 60 and 756,000 square feet of vacant industrial properties available for sale or rent within five minutes of the airport, according to the company's website.

Cargo-only airport eyed in Pennsylvania

In 2007, the FAA approved a $1.6 billion cargo-only airport in the Hazleton area of Pennsyl-vania, but it is in the very preliminary stages. By Peotone standards of development, the PA project would be at about the same stage that Peotone was in 1986.

According to the Pennsylvania State Legislative Budget and Finance Committee Report High-lights, "The proposed Hazleton cargo airport could follow a successful track, such as Alliance Fort Worth, or be unsuccessful, such as the North Carolina Global TransPark and MidAmerica Airport near St. Louis."

Peotone Airport opponents are well versed on IDOT's other pet project — the MidAmerica Air-port, calling it Peotone's  "poster child." Mid-America has been virtually void of activity for nearly its entire 11-year existence.

Market Watch.com reported that John D. Kasarda, Ph.D., director of the Kenan Institute of North Carolina, Chapel Hill questioned the wisdom of trying to build a cargo-only airport.

Calling a cargo-only airport a "challenge," Kasarda said it would especially be a challenge in a greenfield site. He said getting regular air cargo service is difficult, even in a dynamic area.

First proposed in 2003, but still just talk

Illinois officials first discussed a cargo airport at Peotone in 2003 though it never got farther than the talking stage.

Susan Shea, IDOT's Director of Aeronautics Division, whose job description now includes five bureaus including The Bureau of the South Suburban Airport, may have missed those discus-sions since they took place prior to her appointment to the transportation department by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Shea was an Illinois bureaucrat, but rather than transportation, Shea worked in the education department.

The question of a cargo-only facility had been posed for many years, though it was given little credence. Because of a lack of interest by the airline industry, the state acknowledged that it could consider cargo, not passengers.

“Nothing has been ruled out,” said the 2003 IDOT Spokesman, Mike Monseur, at the time.

Monseur added that no decision had been made as to what kind of facility the Peotone airport would be. He indicated, however, that there had been discussion on just how to use the airport.

“Regarding making it solely a cargo or mixture of both hasn’t been determined,” he said.

Cargo industry suffers economic woes

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global airlines are reporting just this week, losses in the range of $11 billion in 2009.

This far exceeds what was reported last year when the first gloomy predictions of $2.5 billion losses were made in March 2008. Revisions throughout the year were revised to as high as $9 billion in losses, but were still exceeded by economic reality.

Giovanni Bisignani, the chief executive of the IATA says such falling yields have never before been seen. And the IATA has been tracking yields for 64 years.

"North American carriers are expected to post losses of $2.6 billion, more than double the pre-viously forecast loss of $1 billion."

IDOT continues long-held patterns 

IDOT officials and another in a long line of Illinois governors continue the Peotone mantra de-spite current economic realities and grim predictions for recovery. As is customary, IDOT is remiss in seeing the big, and/or entire picture as it relates to Peotone.

Officials fail to consider the new cargo facility at the Chicago/Rockford International Airport, improvements and influx of cash to the Gary/Chicago International Airport, and the ongoing cargo operation at O'Hare.

Not only do officials ignore the unlikelyhood of success in developing a cargo-only facility when it has only been done once before, and by a man with seeming very deep pockets, but they gloss over the current chaos within the industry, borne out by real numbers, and the state's own budget shortfalls.

When it comes to the 40-year old discussion to build a new airport in the cornfields of eastern Will County, IDOT is disingenuous at best as it continues its pattern of unbelieveability and lack of credibility.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Illinois to go for a Cargo Airport?


Are Illinois officials serious about turning the incredible shrinking airport planned in eastern Will County, Illinois, just 40 miles south of Chicago, into a cargo airport?

AllianceTexas DevelopmentIDOT's latest metamorphosis that went from an initial plan to build a mega-airport more than 3 times the size of O'Hare International Airport, to a one-runway commercial facility has now shifted toward a cargo airport. At least that was the gist of a recent news story in DC Velocity Magazine.

The magazine reported, that Will County and the State of Illinois would develop a cargo airport as part of an ambitious multimodal transport complex that would include up to four intermodal rail yards, access to three interstate highways, and up to 135 million square feet of industrial warehousing and distribution space.

This must be IDOT's latest we'll do anything, draw-at-straws option. A cargo airport would be risky, and costly. Only one such airport exists in the world.

Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth, Texas

Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth, Texas, is not just an airport. It is an entire one-of-a kind devel-opment built by Ross Perot, Jr. The airport is owned by the City of Fort Worth, but managed by Alliance Air Services.

The airport is a small part of the development plan which includes 17,000 acres of industrial warehousing, residential communities, corporate living, apartments, hotels, shopping, and even proximity to NASCAR's Texas International Speedway. The plan was so meticulous that it has even inventoried the 36,166 trees on the site. This is the world's first and presently the only in-dustrial airport.

The 5,900-acre airport opened in 1989. Since that time, it has become home to a collection of government, national, and international corporations. There are presently between 60 and 756,000 square feet of vacant industrial properties available for sale or rent within five minutes of the airport, according to the company's website.

Cargo-only airport eyed in Pennsylvania

In 2007, the FAA approved a $1.6 billion cargo-only airport in the Hazleton area of Pennsyl-vania, but it is in the very preliminary stages. By Peotone standards of development, the PA project would be at about the same stage that Peotone was in 1986.

According to the Pennsylvania State Legislative Budget and Finance Committee Report High-lights, "The proposed Hazleton cargo airport could follow a successful track, such as Alliance Fort Worth, or be unsuccessful, such as the North Carolina Global TransPark and MidAmerica Airport near St. Louis."

Peotone Airport opponents are well versed on IDOT's other pet project — the MidAmerica Air-port, calling it Peotone's  "poster child." Mid-America has been virtually void of activity for nearly its entire 11-year existence.

Market Watch.com reported that John D. Kasarda, Ph.D., director of the Kenan Institute of North Carolina, Chapel Hill questioned the wisdom of trying to build a cargo-only airport.

Calling a cargo-only airport a "challenge," Kasarda said it would especially be a challenge in a greenfield site. He said getting regular air cargo service is difficult, even in a dynamic area.

First proposed in 2003, but still just talk

Illinois officials first discussed a cargo airport at Peotone in 2003 though it never got farther than the talking stage.

Susan Shea, IDOT's Director of Aeronautics Division, whose job description now includes five bureaus including The Bureau of the South Suburban Airport, may have missed those discus-sions since they took place prior to her appointment to the transportation department by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Shea was an Illinois bureaucrat, but rather than transportation, Shea worked in the education department.

The question of a cargo-only facility had been posed for many years, though it was given little credence. Because of a lack of interest by the airline industry, the state acknowledged that it could consider cargo, not passengers.

“Nothing has been ruled out,” said the 2003 IDOT Spokesman, Mike Monseur, at the time.

Monseur added that no decision had been made as to what kind of facility the Peotone airport would be. He indicated, however, that there had been discussion on just how to use the airport.

“Regarding making it solely a cargo or mixture of both hasn’t been determined,” he said.

Cargo industry suffers economic woes

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global airlines are reporting just this week, losses in the range of $11 billion in 2009.

This far exceeds what was reported last year when the first gloomy predictions of $2.5 billion losses were made in March 2008. Revisions throughout the year were revised to as high as $9 billion in losses, but were still exceeded by economic reality.

Giovanni Bisignani, the chief executive of the IATA says such falling yields have never before been seen. And the IATA has been tracking yields for 64 years.

"North American carriers are expected to post losses of $2.6 billion, more than double the pre-viously forecast loss of $1 billion."

IDOT continues long-held patterns 

IDOT officials and another in a long line of Illinois governors continue the Peotone mantra de-spite current economic realities and grim predictions for recovery. As is customary, IDOT is remiss in seeing the big, and/or entire picture as it relates to Peotone.

Officials fail to consider the new cargo facility at the Chicago/Rockford International Airport, improvements and influx of cash to the Gary/Chicago International Airport, and the ongoing cargo operation at O'Hare.

Not only do officials ignore the unlikelyhood of success in developing a cargo-only facility when it has only been done once before, and by a man with seeming very deep pockets, but they gloss over the current chaos within the industry, borne out by real numbers, and the state's own budget shortfalls.

When it comes to the 40-year old discussion to build a new airport in the cornfields of eastern Will County, IDOT is disingenuous at best as it continues its pattern of unbelieveability and lack of credibility.

Friday, September 4, 2009

South Suburban Airport fits pay-to-play system


Chicago and Wilmette
Chicago and Wilmette (Photo credit: Frank Kehren)
Since the late 1980’s, Illinois officials and their agents have tried every available means to push a huge public works project to fruition, with a keen eye toward ensuring their own political futures and continuing cycle of self-enrichment.

The project is a 23,000-acre airport three times the size of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. The state’s desired location is a small farming community north of the Village of Peotone, in eastern Will County, about 40 miles south of downtown Chicago. The project is often called the Peotone Airport.

Airport boosters have dismissed the long-standing practice of producing crops in eastern Will County. Instead, they view the prime farmland as vacant and prime for development. The people most affected, including the local governments of three of the surrounding communities and several adjacent townships, have resisted the development for more than two decades. But, the efforts of this sparsely-populated, politically-innocent region has fallen prey to Illinois’ well-funded, long-entrenched political "pay-to-play" scheme, one that rewards supporters and contributors with lucrative jobs and contracts.

Tax dollars have funded a multitude of government lobbyists who make regular trips to Washington, D.C. and Illinois’ capital of Springfield to guarantee that despite its inability to gain traction on its own; this is the project that will not die. Airport supporters have left tracks on campaign contribution lists and at political fundraisers for years.

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 5:  Illinois Governor P...
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Instead of following through on his promise to clean up government, Gov. Patrick Quinn is following in the footsteps of his predecessors on the Peotone project. Ex-Illinois Governor George Ryan now resides in a federal penitentiary, convicted on numerous charges of corruption.

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 7:  Former Illinois Gov...
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 7: Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (C) holds hands with wife Patti Blagojevich (R) as they get in an elevator in the Dirksen Federal Building December 7, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison after he was found guilty of 17 public corruption charges. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich was roused from his bed in the early morning hours last winter by FBI agents who took him into custody. He was later impeached by the Illinois legislature. Among other things, he was accused of trying to sell a seat in the U.S. Senate, formerly held by President Barack Obama, to the highest bidder.

One of those bidders was identified as Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Chicago, one of the airport's biggest proponents. He too is being investigated.

English: Former Illinois Governor George Ryan
English: Former Illinois Governor George Ryan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Despite numerous factors that threaten to shelf the decades-old project, the former Lt. Governor under Blagojevich, Quinn pushed for another $100 million to buy land for the airport. Land acquisition, started in 2001 when Ex-Gov. Ryan paved the way. The state bought numerous unsold lots in an upscale subdivision belonging to one of his campaign contributors. The housing development was located just outside the airport boundaries, but was close enough to initiate a selling frenzy.

Together with threats of eminent domain, an inability to sell property in the doomed real estate market long-manipulated by the threat of an airport nearby, and the fear of the future; some landowners sold to the state. They simply gave up and moved on with their lives. The first talk of an airport in the Peotone area was a headline in the local newspaper forty years ago, in 1968.

Many of the remaining families who live in the airport footprint are what the state calls, "unwilling sellers." They have dug in their heels, refusing to be intimidated. Undaunted, the state continues its efforts to coerce real estate sales. Some landowners have farmed there for generations.

Several farms have been in the same family for more than 100 years, honored as centennial farms; by the same state that now wants to take it from them. In some cases huge signs marking “Illinois Centennial Farm” is down the road from signs that read, “State Property No Trespassing.” Many believe the only reason the state hasn’t used eminent domain is because they would have a tough time proving there is a project in a court of law. No need has ever been proven for the project nor has it been authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The state owns about one-third of the land needed to build a scaled-down “starter airport,” with only one runway and a terminal building. Ryan decided that the only way to gain approval for the mega airport was to start small. He decided to propose building the "inaugural airport," reducing the size from 23,000 acres to 4,000.

With unending funds, tied directly to the pockets of Illinois taxpayers, the public relations work continues. Upwards of $100 million has been spent on what the state has called ‘studies.’ In actuality, the ‘studies’ are a set of organized reports, containing cherry-picked pieces of data tied together to induce a favored outcome. Since the beginning, and to this day, consultants, lobbyists, and other campaign contributors form a closed circle of airport backers.

Will County government, which would have jurisdiction over the airport if it was ever built, has long been on the state’s bandwagon, despite a majority of residents opposed to the project. County officials recently hired a consultant. They also employ a lobbyist.

Will County supports an effort to write a new law to establish an airport authority which would take effect even before an airport is built. Their aim is to thwart the efforts of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Chicago who started an airport authority of his own.

For more than twenty years, an organized group opposed to the airport, has found it difficult to gain traction against the systemic political machine in Illinois with its 'pay-to-play' structure heavy with lobbyists and campaign contributors. It is a never-ending cycle that must be broken.


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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Why Peotone Airport won't go away


Here are two reasons the Peotone Airport won't go away.

The following is an excerpt taken from the board meeting minutes from an April village board meeting in Beecher, one of the communities adjacent to the project's proposed location.

Anthony DeLuca, theState Representative who replaced George Scully, ... answered  questions from  President (Paul) Lohmann  about the  third  airport legislation  being proposed by SenatorToi Hutchinson. Mr. DeLuca stated that he supports a third airport. The Board reiterated that Beecher does not want Jesse Jackson’s plan for control of the airport. The Village wants local control if the airport is to be in our back yard.

First, why would Anthony DeLuca, the former Mayor of Chicago Heights who has just been appointed State Representative, support a third airport? Does he know that what he refers to is really a sixth airport in the region — O'Hare International, Midway, Gary/Chicago, Chicago/Rockford, and Milwaukee International? It might even be a seventh airport if the Greater Kankakee Airport has its way. Does he know any of the history of this project?

DeLuca is the Mayor of Chicago Heights — ground zero for airport support. It started with the late State Sen. Aldo DeAngelis, the godfather of the project. But he has been gone for many years.

Does DeLuca know the history of this project, or is he simply relying on what he has heard from the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association. This is not real people, it is an organization that speaks for real people.That was proven years ago when a survey of some of the community's mayors were polled. They admitted never even talking about the project. Yet, because theywere members of the SSMMA, they were "considered" supporters.

Secondly, the above minutes reflect the statement by Beecher Village President Paul Lohmann, The Village wants local control if the airport is to be in our back yard.

Though at first glance, this doesn't appear so, but this is by far one of the most damning statements that could be made to an elected official by another. Instead of the passive statement — if the airport is to be in our back yard— should have been an aggressive statement — it will never be in our backyard.

If the three communities opposed to the airport would take that simple step, communicate that to their state representatives and senators, the airport would have gone away long ago.

Another thing that could harm, and perhaps kill the airport, if they really want to, is to counteract the trick played on them years ago. The villagesfell into IDOT's trap to satisfy federal regulations when they included the airportinto their comprehensive plans. The trick was to write two different plans. Theno airport plan was real. The other plan was IDOT's fantasy. Is that like  keeping two sets of books?

To make the airport go away - the villages should write the airport right out of their future. Take it out of comprehensive plans. Present the FAA with future plans for communities without an airport. Make it disappear on the paper  and it might just disappear in reality.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Happy 21st RURAL, a personal reflection


Happy 21st Birthday RURAL, a personal reflection

Twenty-one years ago, my life took a little jog in the road. I haven't been the same since. My daughter Jenny was only 8; my son Chris was 7. I'm a grandmother now. I have found peace in retirement, in the State ofArkansas where my husband John and I moved almost five years ago. But as much as my life has changed, the steadfast resolve that grew out of that day remains unyielding.

Aug. 2, 1988 was the day RURAL (Residents United to Retain Agricultural Land) was born. That was the official day, yet the real change had taken place weeks earlier — in the spring — when John and I attended our first airport meeting. John was so angry he rarely attended another one. I on the other hand can't count the number of meetings I have attended over the years. John's anger turned into pure hatred. Mine started that way too but was tempered, unbeknownst to me at the time, by a strong desire to mother a movement.

John was incensed when state consultants Marjorie and Suhailal Chalabi, who are still with the project painting a rosy picture of a successful airport with thousands of jobs and thousands of passengers eager to shun Chicago airports just to fly out of Peotone, argued that planes would not make noise in the future. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on Aldo DeAngelis, the late state senator, the beloved Italian who charmed everyone around him, as long as you agreed with him. I didn't.

There were 13 of us at that first meeting, who were all appalled at what we had heard. We stood in the parking lot at the Beecher Community Hall where we held our own little 'after the meeting' meeting. I later learned these were necessary to de-program after such a meeting where there was always a purposeful assault to our intelligence.

On this night, I suggested we pass our phone numbers around. Brenda Thunhurst., of Crete, whipped out a tablet and pen where we all scribbled our names and numbers. She typed the list at work and sent it to all of us. I wonder where that piece of paper is now? I had all that information on another computer—on a 5 1/4" floppy disk—which is no longer compatible with today's systems. If only technology hadn't moved so quickly, I could just search my computer for it.

Hah, if only transportation technology had advanced at a similar rate we'd be taking bullet trains to get from one point to another.

Or if Illinois politics would have matured past its historical pay-to-play mentality, eastern Will County would be a very different place today.

RURAL's guiding principles, formed during those early days of the opposition to build a new airpor never wavered. Still in tact, they were transferred to STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down). The overlying fact is that if something already exists — airports in Gary on the east, Milwaukee on the north, Rockford on the west, and Kankakee on the south — why build a new one?

If a farm economy is working and contributing to the region, why destroy it for an airport that could turn out like the state's white elephant Mid-America at Mascoutah? To be fair, we didn't know about Mid-America then. But once we learned about it, what a great poster child it turned out to be for what not todo.

The Peotone airport project has seen countless promoters over the years, all state-sponsored, paid by tax dollars, who have come and gone. They have taken as much from the taxpayers as they could get before they moved on, probably for more steady work or bigger paychecks. They have never looked back at the chaos they helped create or the people, property, community, and more that they have destroyed.

Even the project has changed. It has changed boundaries, size and focus. The state is searching for a winnable solution and so far, has not found one. I doubt it ever will. I have said for 21 years that an airport will not be built. I'd like to stand by that statement. But I can't. I have learned that all things are possible when the equation includes greed, power, corruption, dishonesty, and lack of responsibility, integrity, and morality. There is money and power to be amassed, so they continue.

Not only was RURAL life-changing in itself, but it also sparked my career. On Sept. 2, 1988, after never writing any more than letters to the editor, I achieved my first byline on a story published in Kankakee's Daily Journal. I was a correspondent until 1997 when I went to work full time there. That was when I convinced George Ochsenfeld to take over RURAL. I entrusted him with something I considered very special, but I had been a volunteer long enough. My kids were getting older. Money was an issue, so I voluntarily gave up RURAL to work as a journalist. My association with the Journal continued for two years. In '99 I went to work for Russell Publications, the weekly paper that covers several towns. Because of Russell's stance against the airport, I was more able to write about what I knew about the project without having to kow-tow to the multitude of official press releases that touted unsubstantiated claims about the project. I continued to report the facts.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was walk that fine line. But to the best of my ability I never compromised my integrity as a journalist based on my personal feelings. I did however; inject facts I knew into stories. Over time, reporters went to other papers or other jobs and the real meat of the airport story became lost in all those press releases with a few quotes thrown in from our side. The knowledge of past events that shaped today's happenings had all been lost. At that point, I became an advocacy journalist, reporting from a historical perspective.

Laid off now, I continue to write on-line and in this and other blogs. I still consult with George and STAND. And I have a lot of time for reflection. Perhaps one day I will announce a new book in this very blog.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Inaccuracies seem to follow the Peotone airport


The following story was reported in Airport Business, a blog by Editorial Director John Infanger of Airport Business magazine. Infanger's post inaccurately states that the proposed Peotone airport is located in U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson's congressional district, (see below). Congratulations Jesse, another one fell for it! Too bad it just isn't true.

I couldn't help but add a comment, since comments are allowed. Read my comment below the story.

Flying Out of ORD …

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Posted By John F. Infanger

Editorial Director, AIRPORT BUSINESS Magazine
… the construction unfolds at O’Hare below as the airliner liftsoff. A man’s mind turns to … airports. And whatever happened toChicago’s third airport, at Peotone (or wherever)?

No sooner asked than answered by Chicago Tribune reporterJoel Hood, who relates that the State of Illinois has “set aside” $100million to get the project moving. Says the story, “For airportsupporters, the money signals that Governor Pat Quinn is serious aboutacquiring the remaining 2,000 acres needed in southern Will County tobuild a third major airport for the Chicago region. No sooner had thegovernor signed the bill than state officials began fielding calls fromlandowners near Peotone seeking to cash in, said Susan Shea, directorof aeronautics for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“I tell them that I’ve already got appraisers ready and out lookingat properties,” Shea said. ‘All of a sudden, people are starting torealize that this is going to happen.’"

That’s significant because two major obstacles holding up Peotonewere local landowners and politics. Chicago’s third airport was put onhold in the ‘90s because Mayor Daley had come up with a new plan –rebuilding O’Hare – and opposing Peotone. President Clinton and Mr.Daley were allies.

Interestingly, Mayor Daley had previously fought hard for a thirdChicago airport, at the Lake Calumet site near Indiana. It was heavilypolluted from the steel mill era; the feds said no. A group of seriousinvestors sought to privately build Peotone, a la Branson, but neverseriously got off the ground. And Mr. Daley’s father, Mayor Richard J.,at one time pushed hard for a third Chicago airport … in Lake Michigan.

Today, President Obama’s Chicago home isn’t that far north ofPeotone, which sits in Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s (D-IL) district. Rep.Jackson is perhaps the strongest proponent of the new airport, and hisargument gets legs when one considers that the current search for jobsin Chicagoland is rough. Daley and Obama are allies, certainly; butapparently the politics don’t add up to the same result today. The fateof this project has always hinged on Washington.

If there was one thing I learned about Chicago while growing upthere, it was that the region was a transportation hub. That was itscore strength – the railroads; the airports; the highways … theinfrastructure. Driving down I-55 the other day was a ‘highway betweendistribution centers’ experience.

The third Chicago airport has always seemed like a natural progression.

Thanks for reading. jfi

 Comment:

Your story contained an error.The proposed airport is NOT in Jackson’s district. In fact, Jackson hasdeceived many, including his congressional colleagues, into believingthat, but it isn’t true. The proposed airport site lies within the 11thcongressional district, in Will County which is fighting Jacksontooth-and-nail for control.

Further, due to her track record, you should have reported that Susan Shea claimed she is fielding calls from landowners.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Pat Quinn like all the rest

With the signing of the State of Illinois' $31 billion "Illinois Jobs Now" bill Wednesday, Gov. Pat Quinn just restarted the clock on a project for which time should have long ago run out. The bill steers another $110.5million toward the third airport project, near Peotone.

Illinois Governor proves to be no different than predecessors

With the signing of the State of Illinois' $31 billion "Illinois Jobs Now" bill Wednesday, Gov. Pat Quinn just rewound the clock on a project for which time should have long ago run out. The bill steers another $110.5 million toward the third airport project.

Billed as a jobs creator, that money will go toward buying the remainder of the land the state has been unable to obtain from folks who have vowed to fight to keep their land, homes, and farms -- unwilling sellers. How does that create jobs?

The only possible explanation for throwing good money after bad for a forty-year old project void of forward progress, is that Quinn is continuing similar practices of his predecessors -- jobs for favorite supporters: lawyers who will try to push eminent domain on innocent families; consultants who will to try to hide the project's lack of need; public relations specialists who will explore every angle in an effort to paint a rosy picture of the project; and of course investors who also contribute to public officials' campaigns for promise of a piece of the action when an airport is built, if it ever is. Perhaps some of those professionals are part of the 10.3 percent of Illinois' unemployed.

Many believed Pat Quinn would be different than his predecessors -- one who is serving time in a federal penetentiary and another who awaits his day in court. It looks like nothing has changed except the names.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Remembering John Callaway


I will remember John Callaway, a quality journalist

I was saddened by the news of the death of John Callaway, one of Chicago's finest journalists.  He leaves behind an enviable legacy. He was a good and decent man who excelled at the profession he loved, which allowed him to touch countless lives of people in all walks of life. I am privileged to have been one of them.

I remember when I met him. It was during his final year of hosting Chicago Tonight, which showcases newsmakers and various and often contrasting views of issues. On March 11, 1999, I was part of an invited panel, among former mayors — Dick Benson of Peotone, and Ed Palmer of University Park as well as former Illinois Transportation Secretary Kirk Brown. The subject was Chicago's "third" airport near Peotone. It was a fair fight — two for and two against. Benson and I opposed the project while Palmer and Brown promoted it.

I recall being a bit star-struck. It was a surreal experience — as Benson and I rode the train from the southernmost stop on the Metra Electric Line at University Park to what is now Millennium Station at Chicago, a lengthy cab ride to the north side, and finally onto the show's set at WTTW. Chicago Tonight was as familiar to me as my own living room, yet being there was like seeing it for the first time through a new pair of eyes. Being interviewed by the likes of John Callaway was pretty impressive in itself. Hearing him introduce me was certainly a personal high point. But it was also the pinnacle of the early anti-airport movement. After twelve years, our voices were finally being heard.

So much about those days is locked in my mind, but remains close to the surface. That was ten years ago, and I no longer live in Illinois. And while there is no reason for me to care about what happens, I still do. Revisiting the subject not only brings back the recollection, but remains powerful enough to revive the emotion.

I remember enjoying the confrontation with Kirk Brown, instigated by Callaway.

When I learned of Callaway's death, I wanted to watch a video tape of the show, something I haven't seen since around the time it was recorded. What a fascinating historical perspective. Nothing has changed except the players!

Chicago Tonight's discussion was inspired by then newly-elected Gov. George Ryan who announced downsizing the proposed airport — from 23,000 acres to a mere 4,100 acres. Brown remarked that a scaled-down mini version was Gov. Ryan's idea because "he is a practical man, a doer, who wants results."

Callaway observed that to him Ryan's gesture was the sign of cooperation between the Republican Governor and Democratic Mayor of Chicago. Mayor Richard Daley opposes another airport.

Callaway made mention that "Peotone seems a long way (from Chicago)." He mentioned that he had recently been to the Gary Airport, remarking that it really looked like a "nice facility at Gary."

"We looked at that," Brown said. "From an environmental standpoint, you can't do it." He added that there wasn't enough acreage available. "Gary has no future. There is nothing useable for a major air carrier airport."

I became angry all over again, as I heard Brown misrepresent the potential for the Gary/Chicago International Airport again. During those days, he said it often. It all came back to me; I recall the feeling of helpless injustice that comes when representatives of the government blatantly lie to get what they want.

This might be a good time to point out that George Ryan is absolutely a doer that gets results. And, his efforts have landed him in a federal penitentiary. Kirk Brown now works for the company — Hanson Professional Services, Inc — that he hired when he was secretary — to manage the state-owned land in the airport site. Coincidence? Brown no longer holds the title of secretary. U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., has replaced him as chief airport booster with his own brand of airport rhetoric. He not only repeats Brown's lies, but has added a few of his own.

During the interview, Brown went on about how the airport could be completed in five years — which by my calculations — would have been 2004. He claimed that all that was needed was for the FAA to complete an environmental impact statement. That wasn't quite accurate either. Brown said the Peotone site had no environmental issues that couldn't be mitigated. When a government bureaucrat talks about mitigation, it isn't about a permanent solution to a problem. It is a more likely a temporary fix, accompanied by glowing press releases that cover up problems, usually creating new ones in the process.

So, during our discussion, Callaway asked me if I thought there were environmental concerns at the airport site. I shot back that yes, flooding was a major issue, with all of the many creeks and streams that flow through the airport site. I suggested that when it rains, the flow pattern is obvious. Today, the soil absorbs and drains the water, but that wouldn't happen if the land was paved with concrete and asphalt.

Callaway then asked if perhaps there was a need for an airport to service the southern portion of the region some time in the future. I answered that I didn't think so. I saw future technology as more likely to move toward shorter runways, not longer ones.

Benson talked about high speed rail and how it had begun making headlines. That has begun again with the election of President Barack Obama, but this time with the leadership necessary to move forward on this exciting new mode of transportation, it could become a reality. Kirk Brown's position, though he didn't discuss it on the show, was dismissive of high speed rail. Today's state decision-makers have continued Brown's notion that high speed rail should be built to connect Peotone to downtown Chicago. He refused to accept that high speed rail would serve as competition to aviation,  further negating a need for a new airport.

Callaway tried to engage Palmer in a conversation about the people who would be dislocated. Instead, he presented a scripted message about economic development for the south suburbs.

"It is coming. It is a fact that it will be here," he said. "For those dislocated, stop thinking in the past," he said.

Palmer's remarks insulted our intelligence. As a representative of the grass-roots organization Residents United to Retain Agricultural Land (RURAL), my role was to represent the views of our members, many of whom would be displaced by a new airport.  To me, thinking in the past was Palmer and Brown trying to push an idea conceived more than 40 years ago.

Watching the tape reminded me that the kind of nonsense which is still being spewed by Jackson and others, still retains the power to annoy me.

Before our introduction on Chicago Tonight, reporter Rich Samuels traveled to the Peotone area to talk to the folks most affected. Providing the balanced view was former Chicago Heights Mayor Angelo Ciambrone.

I felt a pang of homesickness as I watched the tape, remembering the frustration that was displayed on the faces of the people who I felt very close to in those days — people I am no longer in contact with since I retired and left the area.

Warren Gottwald, who years later has since moved away as well, talked about his 40-acre farm that he loved. He said that when he was a young man he thought the American Dream was to own a place with a little creek on it.

"I have that now and they want to take it away from me," he said, admitting, "I'm bitter about this unnecessary airport."

"We need an infusion of an economic giant," Ciambrone said, as he and Samuels toured the urban decay in and around Chicago Heights, a once vibrant, bustling community, rich with jobs, shopping, theaters, and clubs. Someone should have repeated to Ciambrone before he spoke, that the airport he was talking about was scaled down to just one runway and one terminal. Even if it was a smashing success, it wouldn't be an economic giant. The reality is that the airlines who oppose the project would likely continue to oppose it. Instead of a boon, it likely could be an economic drain like Illinois' other boondoggle airport, Mid-America near downstate Mascoutah which has been virtually a ghost town since it was built a decade ago.

A scaled-down airport would duplicate what is now in Gary, accessible by only tar and chip roads instead of highways that serve Gary. How has Gary's airport provided an economic benefit? For that matter, where is the economic benefit in Maywood, that isn't far from one of the busiest airports in the world — O'Hare? Sadly, an airport more than 20 miles away would likely change nothing in the south suburbs. And, it is time to admit that economic development cannot in itself change generational illiteracy, poor schools, gang crime, high murder rate, crooked cops, drug dealing, and a pathetic political structure that does nothing but make excuses.

The video portrayed the rich farm fields and wide open spaces where the airport is actually proposed. The contrast was startling. Samuels went to Peotone — which remains a quaint, little Rockwellian town with a viable downtown where people still gather to talk, shop, and frequent restaurants and saloons. While there, Samuels talked to people who said what they have been saying for the past 20 years when the project was revived by Ryan's predecessor, Gov. Jim Edgar. And they are still saying them. They want to keep their way of life, free of the airport 'dangling here,' as Mary Ann Talamontez, who works in the local doctor's office, put it.

Judi Austell, who owns the local beauty shop, said she wished the state would just make up its mind.

"Let's be fair. The people will be compensated fairly," Ciambrone said. Glenn Ginder, who farms for a living, was concerned about the cavalier attitude that folks in the path of runways can simply relocate.

"How do you put a price on food, family, or our church," he said.
Callaway wisely commented that the debate would likely continue.

I had been interviewed many times over the years. But, I was most impressed with John Callaway — for his knowledge on the subject, the questions he posed, and the understanding he held for the victims who still live with the uncertainty of this 40-year old project. His calm demeanor was capped by his keen sense of the politics involved, which was a hallmark of his stature as a journalist. Chicago has lost one of its brightest and best.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Campaign contributions and lobbying efforts influence policy


Since the late 1980's, Illinois officials have tried every available means to push a huge public works project to fruition, with a keen eye toward ensuring their own political futures and continuing cycle of self-enrichment. A successful airport can be a huge generator of economic development, bringing its sponsor untold benefits in the way of controlling jobs, concessions, and other revenue.

The project, a 23,000-acre airport three times the size of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, would, if approved, be located in a small farming community north of the Village of Peotone, about forty miles south of downtown Chicago. The people most affected, including the local governments of three of the surrounding towns, several adjacent townships, and many varied organizations, have resisted the development for more than two decades. Unfortunately, their small populations and limited cash flow result in an unsophisticated political base, which has little influence on Illinois' well-funded, long-entrenched political pay-to-play power structure.

Tax dollars have funded a multitude of government lobbyists over the years that make regular trips to Washington, D.C. and Illinois' capital of Springfield to guarantee that despite its inability to gain traction on its own; this is the project that will not die. It is no coincidence that the names of supporters regularly show up on campaign contribution lists and at political fundraisers. Beyond lobbyists and campaign contributors, numerous longtime supporters have landed well-paying government jobs.

Business as usual in Illinois, which includes spending money on the Peotone effort, has landed ex-Governor George Ryan in a federal penitentiary, resulted in the recent indictment of ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich by a federal grand jury, and spurred federal and congressional investigations of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Chicago. Despite these statistics, replacement-governor Patrick Quinn promises to clean up government, as did his predecessor. Yet, in his first budget speech, the former Lt. Governor under Blagojevich, Quinn proposed $100 million to buy land for the airport. Land acquisition has been ongoing, thanks to Ryan who paved the way for the state to buy numerous unsold lots in an upscale subdivision belonging to a Ryan contributor. The housing development was located just outside the airport's proposed boundaries, but was close enough to cause a selling frenzy.

Together with years of badgering by threats of eminent domain, a doomed real estate market long-manipulated by the threat of an airport nearby, and the fear of what might happen, has been more than some folks, especially the elderly, could take. So they sold their land to the state. They simply gave up and moved on with their lives. After all, the first talk of an airport in the Peotone area was a headline in the local newspaper more than forty years ago, in 1968.

Many of the remaining families today are what the state calls, "unwilling sellers." They have dug in their heels, refusing to be intimidated. Undaunted, the state continues its efforts to coerce real estate sales. Some of the landowners have farmed the land for generations. Several farms have been in the same family for more than 100 years, honored as centennial farms by the same state that now wants to take them. In some cases huge state-created signs marking "Illinois centennial farm" are down the road from signs that read, "State Property No Trespassing." Many believe the only reason the state hasn't used eminent domain to take the remaining land is because a need has never been proven and the project has never been authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration. They could lose in court without a proven project.

The state owns about one-third of the land needed to build a scaled-down "starter airport," with only one runway and a terminal building. The full-scaled project would include six parallel runways. The "starter airport" would have a similar effect as buying land outside the site. It would be the first foot in the door to the ultimate field of dreams. And despite approval to expand O'Hare, the economic decline, and letters by the airlines stating they would not support a Peotone airport, the state persists.

With unending funds, tied directly to the pockets of Illinois taxpayers, the public relations work remains ongoing. Upwards of $100 million has been spent on what the state has called 'studies.' In actuality, the 'studies' are a set of organized reports, containing cherry-picked shreds of data and inaccurate assumptions, tied together in a report designed to defend the sponsor's outcome. With few exceptions, officials, consultants, lobbyists, and campaign contributors form a closed circle of airport backers.

Will County government wants jurisdiction over the airport if it is ever built. They have long been on the state's bandwagon, despite a majority of residents opposed to the project as shown through political survey questions and other means. County officials recently hired a consultant. They also employ a lobbyist.
Will County officials in more populated regions, which make up the majority of the 27-member board, support an effort to write a new law to establish governance for an airport that does not exist and would take effect before one could exist. Their aim is to thwart the efforts of Congressman Jackson who started an airport authority of his own. It consists of south suburban communities but the impetus and the funding comes from northwest suburbs of Bensenville and Elk Grove Village, neighboring communities of O'Hare. The two have long been opposed to O'Hare's expansion. The opposition was tied to building Peotone. Recent elections have brought new leadership to Bensenville. And Elk Grove Village's Mayor vowed to stop the fight against O'Hare. But that has not stopped Quinn, who still wants to spend $100 million to take land for a new airport.

Through his extensive public relations work, Jackson has convinced leaders in the beleaguered south suburbs, desperate for jobs and economic development, that that they would benefit by a one-runway airfield far from their towns. Yet, he dismisses the same benefits from the existing Gary/Chicago International Airport that already exists just minutes from the south suburbs. More than a year ago, Jackson raised money from some of the poorest towns to lobby ex-Gov. Blagojevich. He wrote op-ed pieces. He erected billboards. He demanded, albeit unsucessfully that Blagojevich turn over state-owned land to his airport authority.

Jackson came under fire from U.S. Rep. John Campbell, R-CA in 2007 when Jackson sought an earmark of $231,000 attached to a spending bill, to study the benefits of the airport. Campbell's criticism centered on the recipient - Jackson's airport authority - headed by Jackson's own congressional staffer, Rick Bryant. But what Campbell didn't know was that when Jackson argued for the funds, he lied about the location of the airport. He said it "abuts Ford Heights," one of the poorest suburbs in the country. Though that might have made a compelling argument for such a project, it just isn't true. Ford Heights is more than twenty miles from the site and is in a different county and a different congressional district. Ford Heights is a poor black urban suburb. The airport location is a white rural farming community.

Jackson has a history of misrepresenting the location of the Peotone airport. He initially listed Peotone with the other towns in his district on his campaign website. When called on it, he added a disclaimer, but to someone unfamiliar with the Illinois' landscape, it remains misleading. Jackson's claim that the airport would benefit his constituents is unproven, but that hasn't stopped him from making the claim. It may be his only justification to them for backing a public works project outside his congressional district.
For more than twenty years, an organized grass-roots group opposed to the airport, has found it difficult to gain traction against the systemic political machine in Illinois with its pay-to-play structure, built-in lobbyists, and campaign contributors. It is a never-ending cycle that must be broken.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

STAND sets the record straight on Peotone Airport

Reprinted from the Park Forest eNews, STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down) sets the record straight on the Peotone Airport.

Read it here .

Community leaders invite Gov. Pat Quinn to Eastern Will County

Current headlines scream "economic decline." The airline industry reports projected losses at $4.7 billion this year. They face losses greater than those experienced after Sept. 11, 2001. Fewer people and less cargo are filling Chicago airport terminals.

So why then would Gov. Patrick Quinn choose to pour another $100 million into buying land for a new airport in eastern Will County, near Peotone? The state has already spent millions of Illinois tax dollars on public relations work, coercing local governments into diluting their opposition and spreading misinformation, all in the name of a planning process to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.

Local governments in eastern Will County have signed a resolution calling for the state to cease all land acquisition and threats of eminent domain until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues a final record of decision on the necessity and viability of the proposed Peotone airport. There is a regional consensus that land should not be purchased for a project that has not received federal approval, as was done with O'Hare expansion.

 "We demand no less than what was afforded O'Hare neighbors by the City of Chicago," said Brian Cann Supervisor of Will Township. "Those of us who live in eastern Will County demand to know why the state persists in this folly," Cann said. "For decades, our lives have been disrupted. We have undergone harassment and intimidation by the state and its agents. Nearly every governor since Richard Ogilvie in 1968 has chattered about building a new airport south of Chicago. But it hasn't happened because it just isn't a good idea."

"Enough is enough. It is time for Gov. Pat Quinn to finally Shut This Airport Nightmare Down," says George Ochsenfeld, president of STAND, a citizen’s group of over 5000 members. Ochsenfeld and Cann want Quinn to visit eastern Will County — to see why building another airport is a bad idea. They would like to show Quinn that an airport just doesn't fit into eastern Will County's rural landscape.

The truth is there are far better alternatives and less costly solutions. Use what already exists before building what would amount to a sixth (not third) Chicago area airport. Studies have never examined the efficiency of using a combination of O'Hare and Midway, with the region's three under-used supplemental airports that already exist — Gary/Chicago, Chicago/Rockford, and Mitchell in Milwaukee. Another alternative to a new airport that hasn't been studied was recently articulated by President Barack Obama — high speed rail — which would offer a competitive alternative to flying.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Locals answer Governors support for Peotone airport development

English: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn addresses...Illinois Governor Pat Quinn 


Current headlines scream "economic decline." The airline industry reports projected losses at $4.7 billion this year. They face losses greater than those experienced after Sept. 11, 2001. Fewer people and less cargo are filling Chicago airport terminals.

So why then would Gov. Patrick Quinn choose to pour another $100 million into buying land for a new airport in eastern Will County, near Peotone? The state has already spent millions of Illinois tax dollars on public relations work, coercing local governments into diluting their opposition and spreading misinformation, all in the name of a planning process to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.

Local governments in eastern Will County have signed a resolution calling for the state to cease all land acquisition and threats of eminent domain until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues a final record of decision on the necessity and viability of the proposed Peotone airport. There is a regional consensus that land should not be purchased for a project that has not received federal approval, as was done with O'Hare expansion.

 "We demand no less than what was afforded O'Hare neighbors by the City of Chicago," said Brian Cann Supervisor of Will Township. "Those of us who live in eastern Will County demand to know why the state persists in this folly," Cann said. "For decades, our lives have been disrupted. We have undergone harassment and intimidation by the state and its agents. Nearly every governor since Richard Ogilvie in 1968 has chattered about building a new airport south of Chicago. But it hasn't happened because it just isn't a good idea."

"Enough is enough. It is time for Gov. Pat Quinn to finally Shut This Airport Nightmare Down," says George Ochsenfeld, president of STAND, a citizen’s group of over 5000 members. Ochsenfeld and Cann want Quinn to visit eastern Will County — to see why building another airport is a bad idea. They would like to show Quinn that an airport just doesn't fit into eastern Will County's rural landscape.
The truth is there are far better alternatives and less costly solutions. Use what already exists before building what would amount to a sixth (not third) Chicago area airport. Studies have never examined the efficiency of using a combination of O'Hare and Midway, with the region's three under-used supplemental airports that already exist — Gary/Chicago, Chicago/Rockford, and Mitchell in Milwaukee. Another alternative to a new airport that hasn't been studied was recently articulated by President Barack Obama — high speed rail — which would offer a competitive alternative to flying. Current headlines scream "economic decline." The airline industry reports projected losses at $4.7 billion this year. They face losses greater than what was experienced after Sept. 11, 2001. Less people and goods are filling Chicago airport terminals.
So why then, would Gov. Patrick Quinn choose to pour another $100 million into buying land for a new airport in eastern Will County near Peotone? The state has spent tens of millions of Illinois tax dollars already for public relations work, coercing local governments into diluting their opposition, and cherry-picking information in the name of a planning process in an attempt to justify a need that doesn't exist and isn't proven.
"We refuse to sell," says Will Township Supervisor Brian Cann, the township that contains the entire airport footprint. Cann promises a fight if the state tries to condemn land. The consensus from eastern Will County governments and organizations is that land should not be purchased until nd if  new airport receives federal approval, s was done with O'Hare expansion plans.
"We demand no less than what was afforded O'Hare neighbors by the City of Chicago," Cann said. "Local governments have signed a resolution calling for the state to cease and desist all land acquisition and threats of eminent domain in eastern Will County until after the Federal Aviation Administration issues a final record of decision on the necessity and viability of the proposed Peotone Airport.
"Those of us who live in eastern Will County demand to know why the state persists in this folly," Cann said. "For decades, our lives have been disrupted. We have undergone harassment and intimidation by the state and its agents. Nearly every governor since Richard Ogilvie in 1968 has chattered about building a new airport south of Chicago. But it hasn't happened because it just isn't a good idea."
"Enough is enough. It is time for Gov. Pat Quinn to finally Shut This Airport Nightmare Down," says George Ochsenfeld, president of an organized group of the same name, consisting of 5000 members. Ochsenfeld and Cann have written to Gov. Quinn inviting him to visit eastern Will County. They want Quinn to see and hear why building another airport is a bad idea. They would like to show Quinn that an airport just doesn't fit into eastern Will County's rural landscape.
In his recent budget address, Gov. Quinn uttered support for a new airport, but he also told his audience, "Saying no is not enough... unless you are willing to speak the truth and offer real alternatives."
The truth is there are far better alternatives to a new airport. The most obvious is to use what already exists before building what would amount to a sixth (not third) Chicago area airport. Studies never examined the efficiency of using a combination of: O'Hare and Midway, with the region's three under-used supplemental airports that already exist — Gary/Chicago, Chicago/Rockford, and Mitchell in Milwaukee. Another alternative to a new airport that hasn't been studied was recently articulated by President Barack Obama — high speed rail — which would offer competition to flying.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Pat Quinn says he supports Peotone

So, in his budget address, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he supports Peotone. I can tell you, that for me, the speech was pretty surreal.


The birds were singing their frenzied mating songs and scurrying to build nests to hold their eggs. The sweet fragrance of the hyacinths danced on the swift breezes, toward me. The sound of last year's red oak leaves rustled, in their last clinging grasp to the branches before new buds swelled beneath them, setting them free. Amid all that peace and tranquility that is my front yard, here in Arkansas, the voice of  Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn nearly drowned it all out, via Windows Media Player on my laptop computer. 


I heard him speak honestly about the situation Illinois faces economically. He talked of solutions. They all made great sense until he spoke of the $1 billion for economic development, the smallest amount by the way, behind the billions allocated to concerns of the environment and education, and other more pressing initiatives. 


Then he said, "We will build a third airport in the south suburbs of Chicago, and we will build it as fast as humanly possible." The camera panned over to a corner of the room where the black men whose faces I could not make out in the sun-drenched resolution of my computer screen. But, I can only assume they were members of the black caucus, cronies of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., who were applauding wildly. Others were applauding too. The biggest surprise applause to me, came from Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, who has traditionally been an opponent of Peotone. 


I can't help but think that at least some of the members of the General Assembly could have been applauding the fact that Quinn's giving verbal support to Peotone would finally shut Jackson up for a while, though probably not for long. 


I'll give Jackson credit — another Illinois Governor said he supports Peotone. But is that really a big deal? Every governor since Richard Ogilvie, back when Jackson was three yeas old has said those words, with the possible exception of Dan Walker. But, none of them have done it.


Perhaps the reason it hasn't been done is because building another airport, some 40 miles from the city center is a stupid idea. Saying it means nothing. Doing it would count. But, I can't help but think this meritless scheme from 1968 just can't pass muster. There are so many better ideas.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

NY Times continues one-sided campaign for Peotone

Amazingly, another op-ed column has been written in the New York Times today about the Peotone Airport from a perspective that mirrors that of Jesse Jackson, Jr., by columnist Bob Herbert. This makes two in the last four days This one was entitled "Stifling an opportunity." You can read it here .

I have had a few emails alerting me to this story, but the first was from Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s e-mail distribution list at http://www.jessejacksonjr.org/distlist.htm   This is the link, just in case you would like to become a subscriber. The email said the following:

Today Bob Herbert writes, “An airport is a very different public works project than a bridge or a road,” he said. “The jobs that come with the development of an airport range from construction to taxicab drivers, to the hotel and motel industry, to Avis and Hertz, which buy cars by the fleet, to Federal Express and DHL, and all those others who staff and manage the airport. Corporate head-quarters frequently locate near an airport. In terms of employment, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

"The goal from the beginning has been to keep the proposed airport out of the clutches of Chicago’s notorious “pay-to-play” tradition.

That is the most likely reason that this project, with its potential to unleash so many jobs, has taken so long to get off the ground."

 Perhaps Mr. Jackson is trying to show support for his plan to coerce Gov. Pat Quinn. He is probably seeking an agreement to let ALANC become a co-sponsor with Illinois for the airport.

I have often been accused of being one-sided, though what I wrote was always to the best of my ability, based on facts. So, I thought I might enlighten Mr. Herbert about some of the facts he left out of his column:


Mr. Herbert,


Endling a 40-year old nightmare is hardly stifling an opportunity. Please stop doing a disservice to your readers. There is far more to the airport story than the one Jesse Jackson, Jr. tells. 


As a local reporter/editor I was writing about the proposal to build an airport near Peotone since long before Jesse Jackson, Jr. went to Washington. I have written countless stories for the local paper for more than 20 years. The paper is officially opposed to the project and for years has displayed a 'no airport' logo on its masthead.


Prior to that I was a young wife and mother who had hoped to raise my two children in the beaucolic rural eastern Will County. When I heard about how building an airport larger than O'Hare, just a few miles from where I grew up, was to be a panacea for the region, I had questions. I joined with several others following an FAA meeting in our small town. We wanted answers, but were not given any. We formed a group to oppose the airport. It was 1988. Though I no longer live there, the opposition remains organized.


I'm glad you realize the proposed third airport is outside Jackson's district. By the way, it would actually be the Chicago area's sixth airport sharing with — O'Hare, Midway, Gary, Milwaukee, and Rockford. But, so is the Gary/Chicago International Airport, which is closer to Jackson's constituency than Peotone. Different county/different state – what's the difference to people who need jobs? Jackson is a U.S. Congressman who should concern himself with jobs in the country, not just the south side of Chicago, and at others' expense. If airport jobs were available, Jackson's constituents could get jobs at Gary much easier than at Peotone. But perhaps jobs really aren't his concern. 


Jackson's association with the late Henry Hyde, shocked everyone because the two had opposite philosophical and political views. Yet they found one common thread, hostility toward Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago, via O'Hare International Airport. Jackson was attracted to the northwest suburbs and Hyde's long fight against Chicago's control of O'Hare. The northwest suburban officials, who have fought O'Hare expansion endlessly, simply fit Jackson's criteria. Daley was forced into the 'third airport' fray because Hyde's GOP cronies in the Illinois General Assembly tried to exclude Chicago, which has title to one of the busiest airports in the world, from studies of Chicago airport capacity, in 1985. It was ludicrous to exclude the primary airport sponsor from such a study, but like many things related to this project, Illinois officials tried. 


I readily admit that O'Hare was an economic engine and magnet for jobs because it replaced Midway during a booming post-war economy, a time when aviation was growing exponentially. But O'Hare was the primary airport for the growing region. Only a fool would predict similar growth with a redundant sixth airport, especially during the current economy and condition of aviation. 


Had Jackson used all the wasted energy he has devoted to this ill-conceived project, outside his congressional district, perhaps he would have been able to develop some of the brown field areas and create jobs in his own district. Or perhaps he could have put efforts into redeveloping the site of the long-defunct Dixie Square Shopping Mall in Harvey, the one destroyed during the filming of the Blue Brothers movie in 1980. Though the shopping center has been demolished, the land has yet to be redeveloped. 


Or perhaps instead of trying to obliterate some of the best farmland in the country, Jackson could have examined the rail and intermodal freight potential in his own backyard. Because he ignored the obvious, that dynamic has begun moving and taking jobs with it, to the hinterlands as well. And why should another working region supported by a good farm economy suffer because of Jackson's lack of vision. 


If transportation was really Jackson's focus, why did he not pursue high speed rail, which is far less invasive, cleaner, and would also produce jobs?

It is a given that airports are economic growth magnets, but only if they are successful. Mid-America Airport is another Illinois airport in the cornfields studied by the same IDOT consultants that wrote reports on Peotone. But they built it and nobody came. Billed as a reliever to St. Louis' Lambert Field, Mid-America has become nothing more than a burden on the local taxpayers who are now stuck with it. And, it has been virtually a ghost town for a decade. The same thing could happen at Peotone. 


If lack of airport capacity is the problem, why isn't the Gary/Chicago International Airport being utilized? It already exists and is easily accessed from the south suburbs and downtown Chicago. It takes about 20 minutes from Homewood. If new airport capacity were a problem, Gary should be booming. If airports solved economic problems as Jackson claims, why hasn't Maywood, in close proximity to O'Hare been its beneficiary? The studies that have concluded that a new airport is needed have been done since 1985 by one chosen consultant, directed by the IDOT, which has a reputation similar to past Illinois governors who appointed them. The previous governor is under federal probe and his predecessor is serving time in the federal pententiary. 


There has never been a proven need for a Peotone airport. The project has never had enough merit to stand on its own without being propped up by millions of tax-supported public relations schemes. Did you ask Jackson about that? 


Numerous public officials have signed resolutions opposing the project. Thousands of residents have battled the proposal since 1988 through organized opposition. Political surveys have indicated a majority of the people of Will County are opposed. Jackson has enraged Will County officials who are now trying to garner support in the Illinois General Assembly to establish an airport authority of their own, just to counter Jackson's efforts. 


There have been so many victims of this ill-fated scheme. Whole communities have been adversely affected. People have lived in limbo since this airport was proposed. Some – proud men — have died thinking they failed their families because they could no longer protect them. Stress and illness has taken its toll. And they deserve better, even from an op-ed writer in the New York Times who has written two columns in the past four days, apparently using only one sources. And that source is questionable. You might start with your paper's own archives. I was quoted by your paper 18 years ago when a NY Times reporter came to Peotone to write a balanced piece. If you would like more information about the local point of view, check my blog at chblog.ozarkattitude.com  Most of content has been published. Or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.


Carol Henrichs

Sunday, March 15, 2009

New York Times op-ed begs rebuttal

New York Times op-ed begs rebuttal and gets it

Today's buzz is a March 13 New York Times op-ed piece entitled  "Flying Blind in Chicago"  by columnist Bob Herbert. The piece read like a diatribe written by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. or perhaps, his aide, Rick Bryant, who doubles as the Chairman of Jackson's self-appointed airport authority. The op-ed piece contains all the similar redundant propaganda about the wonders of an airport to serve Chicago in the cornfieldst near Peotone. Herbert claims the airport would be a great project for  federal stimulus funds.

Trouble is, it is the same rhetoric we have been hearing out of Jackson for years about the project outside his congressional district. And, it just isn't true.

The folly of building an airport near Peotone began in 1968, more than 40 years ago. In all that time, this ill-conceived project has lacked the merit to stand on its own without being bolstered by politicians who paid for their props with tax dollars. The project faded away in the 70's, only to be revived in 1985 in the Illinois General Assembly, a place where many great ideas generally go to die. But this one — being a bad idea — has lived on, still using tax dollars to give it legs to stand.

The stimulus money is supposed to be a job-creator for shovel-ready projects. This hardly fills that bill with its imaginary, over-inflated job projections. This project is hardly shovel-ready because its need just isn't proven.

I have learned of at least two responses to this piece and have received permission to print them here.
Mr. Herbert:

I fear you have been blinded by Congressman Jackson's snow job.

You failed to include several items that are quite apparent to those of us who live here.

1. The State of Illinois is buying the land with taxpayer dollars.  The plan is to lease it back to ALNAC under below market rates.  Hence, it is a public subsidy for private investors.  As you may have read, the State of Illinois is nearly bankrupt.

2. No airline has expressed the slightest interest in the project. What if they build an airport and no one comes?

3. There is no surrounding infrastructure to support the area.  One interstate is five miles away with a single off ramp interchanges in each direction that is a nightmare under current circumstances.  All the other roads in the area are either rural of barely two lanes.  There is no commuter rail to the site.  The nearest train station is five miles away.  There is no water except well water.

4. The two firms are foreign firms that would operate under NAFTA rules.  Great concern must be expressed as to whether they will abide by prevailing wage rules or use Union sub-contractors.

5. The congressman is hardly a beatific figure given his deep involvement in the scandal surrounding our recently impeached governor.  A thorough investigation as to who would profit by this project must be demanded.

6. Every willing seller of the land has already sold.  Condemnation proceeding and the physical removal of residents from the homes is the only option left. Less than 25% of the land necessary for "inaugural footprint" i.e., one east-west landing strip, is in the possession of the State of Illinois.

I fear you have relied upon Mr. Jackson's propaganda apparatus rather than a thorough research of the facts.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Brislane
Beecher, Illinois
The second is from a New York City resident who is originally from Peotone.

 Bob Herbert claims that because the economy is hurting, Illinois should rush an airport project  that is unnecessary and will destroy the very area supporters claim it will help. As a native of Peotone, IL  – the site of the proposed third Chicago airport – I can tell you that the only reason the project didn't die off years ago is because corrupt political interests have fought to keep it alive, despite all evidence against its need.
In a time when "the U.S. is in a world-class recession, hemorrhaging jobs and spending trillions of dollars trying to extricate itself from the mess," I hardly see how an ill-advised project of this magnitude would solve any problems. Travel is declining, airlines are going under, and millions of people are in danger of losing their jobs. Expansion at established regional airports (Rockford  and Gary ) would be much smarter policy for the long-term health of the Chicago metro area.

Amanda Layton-Greep
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Kudos to both for fine letters. Amanda went on to say that if anyone wants to write their own letter in response to this opinion piece, that it should be no more than 150 words, should include your full name, address, and daytime/evening phone numbers (for verification purposes only), reference Bob's column in the subject line, and send it to letters@nytimes.com. She cautions that the paper's policy is that letters must be received within a week of the original piece.

Yet another response was sent to the New York Times. This, from conservative blogger Rick Moran is also well worth the read. He posted it this morning at his blog, The American Thinker.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Obama lends support to High Speed Rail

High speed rail could land in Illinois

    President Barack Obama has lent his support to high speed rail – both through the economic stimulus package and his first budget.

The $787 billion stimulus package set aside $8 billion for high speed rail with another $5 billion in the budget.
This investment into clean, green technology is causing a rise in the excitement level of high speed rail advocates across the country. From New York to California states look to the possibility of finally developing high speed rail.

The President talked about fast trains while on the campaign trail. Spurred by high gas prices and flight delays, last summer Obama spoke of high speed rail service as a viable alternative to the gridlock on the ground and in the air.
He talked about the potential to connect Midwest cities.
According to the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, (MHSRA) the definition of "high speed rail" is varied. To some, it means trains on dedicated track that operate in excess of 150 mph.

Others consider high speed rail as 125 mph and above. A good example is Amtrak's Acela which operates between Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston. The Acela's trip of just over two- and one-half hours, and averages about 86 mph. Still, that is far less than the speed of France's TGV, Germany's ICE train or Japan's Shinkansen, which was developed 40 years ago.

The Federal Highway Administration considers trains as those that travel faster than 110 mph, the current limit under federal regulations. By that definition, trains that operated in the 1930's out of Chicago were high speed rail.
The MHSRA likens a high speed rail network as similar to a highway system, with interstates, as well as local and arterial roads. They say the Midwest needs to build both the trunks and the feeders to city centers.
In Illinois, fast trains have been talked about for as long as building another airport near Peotone. In fact, a rail connection at the airport terminal in a 1968 plan for a new airport between Beecher and Peotone was later revised to include a high speed rail connection point.
But, experts claim that implementing high speed rail to Midwest destinations would not only negate the need for new runways, it would free additional space for long point-to-point flights at existing airports. That was the opinion of Joseph Vranich who authored "Supertrains: Solution to America's Transportation Gridlock" in 1991. Vranich later went on to serve as president of the High Speed Rail Association.
Vranich was an early opponent of the Peotone Airport. He visited the Peotone area to research the airport proposal, for which he devoted a chapter in his book.

Supertrains was a call to action that compared this country's outdated rail system with the state-of-the-art technology used in other countries abroad.

Obama's investment is a step in that direction.

Vranich told the New York Times this week that rather than doling out funds piecemeal, he would like to see is an investment in one true high speed rail system — suggesting the popular Washington to New York corridor. He warned that spreading out the investment to various states would dilute the power to build a truly high speed system.

Vranich said the closest state to developing a high speed rail network is California. Voters there approved a proposition to initiate a high speed rail project last November.
Illinois does have the potential to develop a high speed system as well. While they do not meet Vranich's definition of true high speed rail, Rick Harnish, president of the MHSRA, identified three main routes in Illinois — Chicago to Detroit, Chicago to Milwaukee, and Chicago to St. Louis – that could apply for funds.
Harnish indicated that Illinois chances are good, since the President and Rahm Emanuel, his Chief of Staff are from Illinois, as is Ray LaHood, secretary of transportation, and Dick Durbin, the second in command in the U.S. Senate.
 High speed rail could land in Illinois
    President Barack Obama has lent his support to high speed rail – both through the economic stimulus package and his first budget.
The $787 billion stimulus package set aside $8 billion for high speed rail with another $5 billion in the budget.
This investment into clean, green technology is causing a rise in the excitement level of high speed rail advocates across the country. From New York to California states look to the possibility of finally developing high speed rail.

The President talked about fast trains while on the campaign trail. Spurred by high gas prices and flight delays, last summer Obama spoke of high speed rail service as a viable alternative to the gridlock on the ground and in the air.

He talked about the potential to connect Midwest cities.
According to the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, (MHSRA) the definition of "high speed rail" is varied. To some, it means trains on dedicated track that operate in excess of 150 mph.
Others consider high speed rail as 125 mph and above. A good example is Amtrak's Acela which operates between Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston. The Acela's trip of just over two- and one-half hours, and averages about 86 mph. Still, that is far less than the speed of France's TGV, Germany's ICE train or Japan's Shinkansen, which was developed 40 years ago.
The Federal Highway Administration considers trains as those that travel faster than 110 mph, the current limit under federal regulations. By that definition, trains that operated in the 1930's out of Chicago were high speed rail.

The MHSRA likens a high speed rail network as similar to a highway system, with interstates, as well as local and arterial roads. They say the Midwest needs to build both the trunks and the feeders to city centers.
In Illinois, fast trains have been talked about for as long as building another airport near Peotone. In fact, a rail connection at the airport terminal in a 1968 plan for a new airport between Beecher and Peotone was later revised to include a high speed rail connection point.
But, experts claim that implementing high speed rail to Midwest destinations would not only negate the need for new runways, it would free additional space for long point-to-point flights at existing airports. That was the opinion of Joseph Vranich who authored "Supertrains: Solution to America's Transportation Gridlock" in 1991. Vranich later went on to serve as president of the High Speed Rail Association.
Vranich was an early opponent of the Peotone Airport. He visited the Peotone area to research the airport proposal, for which he devoted a chapter in his book.
Supertrains was a call to action that compared this country's outdated rail system with the state-of-the-art technology used in other countries abroad.
Obama's investment is a step in that direction.
Vranich told the New York Times this week that rather than doling out funds piecemeal, he would like to see is an investment in one true high speed rail system — suggesting the popular Washington to New York corridor. He warned that spreading out the investment to various states would dilute the power to build a truly high speed system.

Vranich said the closest state to developing a high speed rail network is California. Voters there approved a proposition to initiate a high speed rail project last November.

Illinois does have the potential to develop a high speed system as well. While they do not meet Vranich's definition of true high speed rail, Rick Harnish, president of the MHSRA, identified three main routes in Illinois — Chicago to Detroit, Chicago to Milwaukee, and Chicago to St. Louis – that could apply for funds.
Harnish indicated that Illinois chances are good, since the President and Rahm Emanuel, his Chief of Staff are from Illinois, as is Ray LaHood, secretary of transportation, and Dick Durbin, the second in command in the U.S. Senate.