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Is this Gov. Blagojevich’s mini version of the midnight raid on Meigs Field?
At the height of the season’s first major snowstorm Friday, a contractor began demolishing houses the state had acquired in the pathway of a proposed airport near Peotone, sparking charges Monday from area residents of a sneaky double-cross.
The residents and two officials from eastern Will County accused the Illinois Department of Transportation of reneging on its August agreement with two state legislators that no more demolitions would occur unless the vacant homes were found to be unsalvageable for future renting.
The IDOT contractor razed three houses Friday morning and Saturday in Will Township, crossing over private property without permission to reach one of the houses, said Township Trustee Rocky Batterman. Up to 11 other properties are slated for teardown.
“We believe that this was all planned to be done during the snowstorm where they would not be able to get any [media] coverage,” Batterman said.
State Rep. Lisa Dugan (D-Bradley) said she and state Sen. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) were led to believe the homes would remain untouched until IDOT provided a cost analysis of each property. IDOT officials had said some of the homes were vandalized and would be too costly to repair, but Dugan said she wanted to see the actual figures.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 11:07 am
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MORE ARROGANCE!
From Corruptovich and his goons……
Comment by Guy Fawkes Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 11:58 am
Seriously, IDOT officials had nothing else to worry about on a day when a massive snowstorm was hitting the state than to tear down a few shacks in Peotone?
Glad to see that they’ve got their priorities straight over there!
Comment by grand old partisan Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 12:00 pm
Bad people do bad things, this just proves it.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 12:13 pm
If these were houses the state had acquired I don’t see why they can’t demolish them. Then again, I can’t see why they would demolish them either. That airport is never going to see the light of day.
Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 12:15 pm
Has Blagojevich ever been for a third airport? I don’t recall him being for it. Maybe he doesn’t even know until it serves his purposes. Or in this case what he’s doing might serve his purpose in the future only to not do it.
In the case of “The Master” (Mayor Daley I believe Rich is referring to) we already knew that he wanted Meigs gone before his put his mind into making that happen. Whether I agree or not I can admire that.
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 12:37 pm
Nothing Daley did about Meigs was admirable, noble, legal, or even prudent. That was an example of machine-backed thuggery at it’s worst, and I’ll never forgive him for it.
Comment by Sky pilot Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 12:47 pm
The tinfoil hats are flying off the shelves today…
Comment by sam Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 1:26 pm
The story barely mentions how the bulldozers drove across someone’s private property to get to the state-owned property. Anybody think a 150,000-pound bulldozer will do some damage to a guy’s yard? Especially after all the rain and snow? You bet it will. And why did they trespass? Because they believe they can- plain and simple. They just didn’t care.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 1:32 pm
So typical of this administration. This arrogant crud just keeps going on and on and on…
Comment by Buck Flagojevich Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 2:44 pm
I have a unused roll of Eisendrath 2006 stickers and well as an Eisendrath 2006 yard sign (proving that he did in fact have yard signs printed). Before posting them on ebay I wanted to give all the loyal CapitolFaxBlog readers first crack at the stickers and signs. I’m asking 250 dollars as these will be collectors items when the next Democratic President names E-squared the next Justice of the Supreme Court.
Comment by chicago insider Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 3:45 pm
nothing this corrupt, arrogent doofus for a governor does anymore surprises me. I am sure Bill will be around to say what a great step this was to accomplish some nobel public policy goal, but nothing he says can be believed anyway.
Springfield is getting mighty depressing.
Comment by Mike Williams Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 4:50 pm
Meigs? Peotone? Penny-ante stuff. Daley the Elder outdid them all when it comes to airport cunning and chicanery.
Anyone remember a close-in-to-Chicago airport called Orchard Field?
When it became clear that Midway was too small, Richard J. quickly and quietly annexed swaths of land and “captured” Orchard — and turned it into Chicago’s very own in-the-city O’Hare.
The moral of the story remains unchanged to this day: guard your gonads, neighbors, when it comes to airports.
(P.S. — May I suggest that Richie is not “the master”. Rich is shrewd. Rich is smart. But as this quasi-parable demonstrates, he owes a monster debt to the TRUE master — his old man.)
Comment by Dooley Dudright Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 5:42 pm
Why is anyone surprised? As the Guv said (or warned us?), we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 5:48 pm
The gov has played both sides of the fence and seemed at one time to favor Triple J’s plan over Will County’s. I doubt he will do too much to go against Daley’s wishes, whatever they may be.
This is way too much ado over one runway, 5 gates and a windsock…which is what Peotone airport is looking to be right now.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 6:28 pm
For god sakes. Can anyone be surprised by what this man does anymore?
Comment by Carol Ronen Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 6:42 pm
Should have got you one of them there “Memorandums of Understanding” girls….everyone else does. What did you expect ??? 4 years prior…now 4 years more thanks to our “informed electorate”. What’s the surprise !!! Way to go Bladgo !!!
Comment by A GOP GUY Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 7:08 pm
Just wait until Richard M. annexes Peotone.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 7:28 pm
Is it true the ‘dozers were labeled “Rezmar International Airport Management?”
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 8:37 pm
I’ve got $100 bucks that says he didn’t know/didn’t care about this little episode.
Let’s make it $1,000. $1 million.
You all can live in whatever fantasy you create. Just because some Township person thinks this was Rod’s evil conniving plan doesn’t make it so.
You guys should really hear yourselves sometimes. Its pretty hilarious.
Comment by JohnR Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 9:12 pm
Shame on Martin. And to think the reps would believe Martin would keep his word. Firing qualified staff for no reason, material re-org lay off, the worst audit in IDOT history that actually was referred to the feds and attorney general, pathetic Traffic Safety audit and the loss of federal funds, the loss of top notch engineers, and on and on and on.
Comment by Rex Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 9:24 pm
Similar vein, was any one surprised that it took so long for the Governor to call out the National Guard and/or declare counties disaster areas???
The storm was Friday and the Guard was called out when?
Comment by Link Tuesday, Dec 5, 06 @ 10:38 pm
“Arrogant crud?”, “corrupt arrogent doofus?”,”corruptovich?”, “bad people do bad things?”.
Children please!Play nice!
Comment by Bill Wednesday, Dec 6, 06 @ 4:39 am
People without power, roads like crap & winter storms in the central part of the state crippling entire communities & this clod & the IDOT “higher ups” diverting tractors, trucks & man power to tear down some building in the middle of the night during a snow storm!! Sounds like an excellent plan. Course Blago wouldn’t know what central Illinois was like …cause’ he doesn’t live in Springfield !! Ya & thanks Bladgo for summoning the Nat’l Guard out 5 1/2 days after the initial storm. Man !!! ??? Hold on folks “”You ain’t seen nothing yet !!”"
Comment by annon Wednesday, Dec 6, 06 @ 5:50 am
Anon,
This is all the governor’s fault. After arranging for the storm he probably was out there driving the bulldozer himself! What a “clod”! How could anyone not want to live in beautiful Springfield?
Comment by Bill Wednesday, Dec 6, 06 @ 5:57 am
He should have taken down the other eleven too instead of cut and running…seriously, this is what the “Daily Cry” has become? He tore down vacant houses-houses owned by the state and slated for teardown- but didn’t tell first? Can’t we get back to more important things to cry about, like, “He doesn’t live in Springfield. WHAAAAA”?
Comment by Master of the Obvious Wednesday, Dec 6, 06 @ 6:01 am
Dugan and Halvorson: What are you complaining about? He’s YOUR governor! See what happens when elections and support go strictly along party lines, even when it comes to an official who cares not for his party, nor for his state, but only for himself and his “friends?”
He’s got to keep those contractors and unions happy, doesn’t he?
Comment by Snidely Whiplash Wednesday, Dec 6, 06 @ 7:48 am
Sensing the impending disaster these properties posed for the town of Peotone during the snow storm, the quick thinking gallant governor acted to ensure these hazards were removed by IDOT.
They will be replaced by a chain of fast food restaurants owned by Tony Rezko.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Dec 6, 06 @ 3:00 pm
I hate Blagojevich. My wife hates Blagojevich.
He is an evil sociopath.
But a wonderful woman in Marge Mell died recently and we should take a brief break from Rod.
Comment by Lou Wednesday, Dec 6, 06 @ 10:17 pm