Chicago Parks, Meigs Field and Mayor Daley

I was fairly outraged when I read USA Today's fawning article on Chicago Mayor Daley and his efforts in creating park space in the city.  Normally park space is a good thing, but his midnight, quasi-illegal destruction of the historic Meigs Field airport last year was an outrage.  Here's a letter to the editor I sent to USA Today:

Chicago's new Millennium Park will undoubtedly be a enjoyable recreation area for years.  "Donors' cash turns city green" USA Today, 7/14/2004.  The article notes Mayor Daley's "15 year quest to 'green' this industrial metropolis."  His quote on "A lesson in using public space" made me laugh aloud.  This same Mayor Daley bulldozed the runway at historic Meigs Field in March 2003, breaking a promise to keep the airport open for 25 years.  Although Daley cited groundless security concerns as the reason for the midnight demolition, public statements for years prior indicated his underlying desire to turn the airport into a park.

So, while Chicago gets even more park space, it citizens do not have access to a local airport that was serving community and business needs.  Because police and medical helicopters are now based farther away, the city is less secure.  A 1997 proposal to add park space and keep the airport open was ignored.

The City of Chicago deserves much praise in their efforts to make a "City in a Garden"; however, I deplore Daley's dishonesty and fear mongering to achieve his goals.