Tue, May 20, 2003
"Daley's Folly" May Follow the Embattled Chicago Mayor to His
Grave
Recent legal actions promise that the Meigs
issue will remain a source of controversy in the courts while the
public outcry over Daley's act of "domestic terrorism" continues to
mount. AOPA was in federal court in Chicago last week for the first
hearing on the association’s suit against the city of Chicago
for closing and digging up Meigs Field airport. The judge has given
AOPA until June 5 to respond to the city’s motion to dismiss.
After that the city will have 11 days to answer. The judge did not
say when a ruling could be expected. At that hearing, AOPA told the
judge that the association will seek an emergency injunction to
prevent the city from performing any further demolition if a
state-issued temporary restraining order (TRO) is allowed to lapse.
A state judge is expected to issue his decision about continuing
that TRO on May 23. He announced that during a hearing Friday on
the suit filed by Friends of Meigs and others in state court.
OKLAHOMA!
In the meantime, the outcry has instigated an uncommon action on
the part of a non-associated governmental entity. The Oklahoma
Aeronautics Commission has approved a resolution to condemn the
demolition.
"The Oklahoma Aeronautics commissioners understand what we have
been unable to pound into Mayor Daley's head - that closing one
airport which is part of an integrated system has a ripple effect
that hurts everyone," said AOPA President Phil Boyer.
The resolution calls the midnight raid on the
airport an "act of domestic terrorism," and notes that it "was
destroyed on March 31, 2003 by Mayor Daley in an effort to close
the airport for his own personal reasons but claiming homeland
security as an excuse." In their resolution, the commission called
upon the Department of Homeland Security to prohibit restrictions
on or closures of public use airports on claims of national
security without the Department's concurrence and a specific
threat.
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