Because… Madigan!
Friday, Jan 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* BGA…
The noise problems for the Weglarz brothers began in 2014 after a near-accident at the nearby Belt Railway switching yard — the largest in North America — prompted officials to add a second set of brakes to the rails.
After that work was completed, patrons at the Weglarz brothers’ three hotels in Bedford Park complained about sleepless nights due to screeching train brakes, which peaked at 92 decibels, far exceeding the 65 decibel maximum allowed by village ordinance.
For years, the Weglarzes passed along to authorities the complaints of hotel guests including flight crews laying over from Midway. They got local tax dollars to help pay for sound insulation at the hotels. They hired noise consultants, as did suburban officials. They complained to the state’s pollution control board.
They also enlisted the help of Bedford Park Village President Dave Brady, who says he decided to ask Madigan for the money “on a whim.”
“I was stunned when we got the call,” Brady says of the earmark, the largest Rebuild Illinois allocation with direct ties to Madigan.
A spokesman for the Belt Railway yard says the company didn’t request the $98 million grant, under which the Illinois Department of Transportation has begun assessing the noise issues and whether the company’s noise-reduction measures have helped.
Madigan & Getzendanner, the former speaker’s law firm, has represented the Weglarz brothers’ Bedford Park hotels for years, saving them $3 million in property taxes over three years, according to Cook County records.
The hotels are an important source of revenue for Bedford Park and other government bodies, paying $4.1 million in state and local taxes a year, according to a brief the Weglarz brothers filed when they made their since-dropped noise complaint to the pollution control board.
Go read the rest.
* Semi-related…
* State launches next phase of I-80 corridor construction in Joliet: ‘A game changer for this community’: The state investment in the $200 million public-private partnership is $32 million, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. CenterPoint Properties, an inland port, is investing up to $170 million to build a new toll bridge on Houbolt Road over the Des Plaines River.
…Adding… ILGOP…
The Illinois Republican Party calls on JB Pritzker to answer questions about his role in authorizing taxpayer money be spent on secret infrastructure projects at Mike Madigan’s request.
Specifically, Governor Pritzker should start by:
1. Releasing all communications between the Office of the Speaker of the House and the Governor’s office, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, and/or the Illinois Department of Transportation;
2. Releasing all communications between the Governor’s Office and both the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Transportation regarding Rebuild Illinois projects; and
3. Release the full list of projects that fall under the category “Leadership Additions.”
Kinda wonder if the ILGOP realizes it’s throwing their own leaders under the bus here. They got “additions” as well. Also, all the projects are line items.
- Keyrock - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:05 am:
You didn’t think you were done with that headline, did you Rich? It may have another decade of service left.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:14 am:
= far exceeding the 65 decibel maximum allowed by village ordinance. =
One thing I’ve found after being pulled into the railroad world a few years back after CN bought out a local shortline, is that local ordinances are often completely toothless when it comes to rail issues. The FRA(Federal Railroad Administration) has the final say on pretty much anything to do with railroad issues, no matter what a local ordinance says.
Some towns have had issues with trains idling on sidetracks for DAYS completely outside of a railyard, and pouring out diesel exhaust near residential areas. The town tried to pass an ordinance on idling trains, but quickly found out that the FRA rules superseded any local ordinance that applied to rail issues.
Even a state agency like the pollution control board still takes a backseat to the FRA rules.
- Nefarious Veneer - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:31 am:
Looking forward to the pro-business Republicans attacking Madigan for stepping up to help a local business address an acknowledged problem.
If the BGA’s mission was really Better Government, wouldn’t they go around highlighting things like excessive train noise hurting businesses and neighborhoods and prod government to do something about it?
My prediction is that if people, businesses and officials in railroad communities see this report, they won’t recoil in horror at Madigan’s clout, but will instead immediately start calling their local lawmakers and saying, hey, I need that, too, we’ve got a real problem here and no one’s doing anything about it.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:37 am:
===wouldn’t they go around highlighting things like excessive train noise hurting businesses and neighborhoods===
Blaming Madigan is a lot easier.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:42 am:
I think alot free market, pro business Republicans have an issue with Mike Madigan’s law firm saving this business 3 million in property taxes over a 3 year period and then delivering a 98 million dollar project to solve their problem.
Scratch my back and line my pockets and I will scratch yours with delivering 98 million in government money to solve your problem
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:42 am:
Andy Shaw turned the BGA into a tabloid for wealthy donors. Total garbage.
- Proud Sucker - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:46 am:
“Some towns have had issues with trains idling on sidetracks for DAYS completely outside of a railyard, and pouring out diesel exhaust near residential areas. The town tried to pass an ordinance on idling trains, but quickly found out that the FRA rules superseded any local ordinance that applied to rail issues.”
Very true. When the FRA tried to remove the whistle bans throughout the suburbs, and DuPage county specifically, Bev Fawell set-up a task force of which I was a member. We quickly discovered the true might of the FRA. It took a few years and some help from Durbin to reach a compromise. This is why some crossings are the same as they have been for over 50 years and others have raised medians with delineators on their roadway approaches.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:57 am:
Clear example of a Quid pro Quo
Exactly what Ed Burke is on trial for right now. He would not lift a finger until the companies hired his law firm.
I am sure there are numerous examples of Mike Madigan bringing home the bacon for constituents who use other property tax law firms
- Correcting - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:04 am:
Mike Madison is at it again. He must be stopped!
- Bigtwich - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:08 am:
And they spelled Madigan correctly!
- Google Is Your Friend - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:11 am:
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 10:57 am:
Laissez-faire Lucky, you should move next to a train yard since the noise is no problem for you as long as the Lords of Business rule the day.
- JS Mill - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:11 am:
=I think alot free market, pro business Republicans have an issue with Mike Madigan’s law firm saving this business 3 million in property taxes over a 3 year period and then delivering a 98 million dollar project to solve their problem.=
Obviously, you do not know what “free market, pro business republicans” think.
These same folks freely accept government subsidies in the millions of dollars. Why heck, if you include PPP loans, closet socialist, Darren Bailey has accepted more than $3 million in government handouts. Chris Miller is another.
And then there is the tens of millions Donald Trump funneled to his own businesses during his presidency.
Free market republicans. Surely you jest sir.
Pro business? Pro their business getting government handouts, definitely.
- stateandlake - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:13 am:
I am pretty sure they are talking here about retarders. Most switching in this yard is accomplished by pushing a line of cars over a crest and sorting them using remote controlled switches into the desired tracks. The retarders slow those cars down so they roll into the tracks at the proper to couple with cars already there at the proper speed. Too fast, and damage can occur. They’re quite noisy, and additional retarders generate more noise.
Only way to abate the noise effects would be walls like those you see along the tollways/interstates that mitigate road noise in adjacent residential neighborhood.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:14 am:
===I am sure there are numerous examples of Mike Madigan bringing home the bacon for constituents who use other property tax law firms===
A million documents and hours upon hours of tapes…
… still no charges. Today.
You can’t compare Burke to Madigan until you actually know what the Feds are seeing (in complete isolation to MJM) to Madigan.
I dunno what the delay is if there’s all these documents, recordings, and yet the USA asked for help on a “tip line”
- MOON - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:26 am:
Madigan always let local ward and district matters take precedent over anything else. I believe Madigan would have tried to help Bedford Park, its neighbors and the Weglarzes irrespective of whether or not they were clients of his law firm.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 11:31 am:
==Laissez-faire Lucky, you should move next to a train yard since the noise is no problem for you as long as the Lords of Business rule the day.==
Or to downtown Springfield, currently bordered by both the 3rd and 10th Street mainlines. Despite preparations for RR relocation onto 10th Street. (Although I will be shocked if the RR relocation and closing of the 3rd street tracks occurs later this decade as predicted).
- Juice - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 12:04 pm:
ILGOP, a project that is line itemed in the budget and that a lot of your members in both chambers voted for is secret? I think you guys need to buy yourselves a dictionary.
- The Dude Abides - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 12:09 pm:
JB is going to be hard to beat in November. The GOP will throw a lot of mud on the wall hoping that some of it sticks.
- Sue - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 12:22 pm:
So a charter school hired a Former Madigan staffer to request 1.5 million but Madigan arranges for the school to receive 31 million - more then half of the entire state budget for this type of grant. Nothing to see here. BTW the school only paid the lobbyist $7500. That may be the best return on any investment in the history of the world
- Lt Guv - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 12:44 pm:
I’d posit that laissez-faire LP should move to Somalia instead of a rail yard. No gub-ment, no nothing. Paradise for the bot and likely internet silence for the rest of us.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 1:02 pm:
===That may be the best return on any investment in the history of the world ===
He’s been getting ribbed for it today for sure.
- Heat Wave - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 1:14 pm:
So the story is a small town mayor asked their legislator for capital funding to resolve a local issue greatly impacting their businesses and residents for years, leading to their request being included in the capital bill, and this is a scandal needing an investigation?
Somebody better warn every mayor in the entire state I guess…
- Skeptic - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 1:32 pm:
65db? That’s hardly louder than a conversation. And they expect a 400,000lb locomotive to be that quiet?
- Lead for BGA? - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 1:38 pm:
The article claims that Jason Tai was the lobbyist for the airport however a review of the Secretary of State site shows that he never registered as a lobbyist for the airport.
- Back to the Future - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 1:54 pm:
First, good work by the BGA and the Sun Times. Having to wait two years on an FOIA request does not reflect well on the “transparency” pledge of Team Pritzker. Good marks for the BGA and the Times for not giving in to the stonewalling nonsense.
Second, this is 98 million dollars. Folks if you build a hotel next to a railroad switching center you and your guests should expect to hear some noise. One idea would be for the hotel operator to give out some 50 cent ear plugs with the guests hotel key.
Perhaps the 98 million would be better spent on DCFS or some other project.
- OneMan - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 2:21 pm:
I will say that even the edge of that yard those trains (and the track) is loud as it can be, I grew up near two rail yards and that one is much louder than anything I grew up near.
- Google Is Your Friend - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 2:44 pm:
- Back to the Future - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 1:54 pm:
Please point to the passage where BGA waited two years for a FOIA request. I’ll wait.
- Back to the Future - Friday, Jan 21, 22 @ 3:42 pm:
Google is your friend,
I was referring to the section entitled “Unvetted and Secret” which covered the delay in the information becoming public.
My point was that a two year lag in making this public was not something that the BGA and newspaper reporters should be subject too.
Of course, sorry for any confusion. I hope this clears up where I was coming from.