Merry Xmas -- One of the Meig's Butchers Goes DOWN

[Jay Honeck]

Meigs Field Butcher Arrested in Blagojevich Scandal

One of the chief architects of the 2003 demolition of Chicago's Meigs Field has been arrested on federal bribery, corruption and fraud charges that include trying to sell the vacated U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama.

John Harris, 46, was taken into FBI custody on December 9 along with Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Harris joined Blagojevich in 2005 as chief-of-staff after working nine years for Chicago mayor Richard Daley in a variety of positions that included deputy commissioner of aviation. Harris was widely seen throughout Illinois as the state's acting governor as Blagojevich became increasingly preoccupied with federal authorities investigating him since 2004.

While deputy commissioner of aviation, Harris was the top city official overseeing the secret midnight demolition of Chicago's Meigs Field on March 30, 2003, and was present when the bulldozers rolled onto the runway. A framed photo of himself at Meigs that night hung in Harris's office and was said to be one of his prized possessions.

Now if we can only get King Daley's head on a platter, justice will at last have been served...

Merry Christmas, all!

 

[AdamZ]

Sweeeeet Revenge!

Lets keep this about Meigs folks so it stays in Hangar Talk.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Outstanding. I hope it continues ALL the way to the top.

 

[wbarnhill]

It's just a shame they didn't go down BECAUSE of Meigs. But good to see karma swing back in our direction.

 

[rottydaddy]

A Christmas toast... to justice!!

 

[Jay Honeck]

It's just a shame they didn't go down BECAUSE of Meigs. But good to see karma swing back in our direction.

I'm still ashamed and amazed that I live in a country where a mere mayor can utterly destroy an amazing airport like Meigs -- in the middle of the night, no less -- without paying the slightest penalty. It's unfathomable to me.

That's the kind of stuff you hear about happening in Third World countries -- not America. Yet, it happened here, in a city where I used to work -- and he got away with it, scott-free. I still tell non-pilots this story, and they quite literally don't believe me....

Ah, well -- what goes around, comes around. Hopefully this investigation will go all the way to the top...

Merry Christmas, all!

 

[ScottM]

I'm still ashamed and amazed that I live in a country where a mere mayor can utterly destroy an amazing airport like Meigs -- in the middle of the night, no less -- without paying the slightest penalty. It's unfathomable to me.

That's the kind of stuff you hear about happening in Third World countries -- not America. Yet, it happened here, in a city where I used to work -- and he got away with it, scott-free. I still tell non-pilots this story, and they quite literally don't believe me....

Ah, well -- what goes around, comes around. Hopefully this investigation will go all the way to the top...

Merry Christmas, all!

Welcome to Amerika!

There was a fine but it was hardly enough and of course it was passed onto the taxpayers.

But this investigation of the gov and his CoS has nothing to do with Meigs, too bad but that ship has sailed.

 

[Bob Bement]

What happened to the Federal assurances that are connected to the money given for runway improvements on Meigs field.

Bob

 

[SCCutler]

What happened to the Federal assurances that are connected to the money given for runway improvements on Meigs field.

Bob

Sadly, Bob, CGX had no federal Grant Assurance obligations in place.

 

[TMetzinger]

Um- I think they did, and part of the fines and such that the city had to pay was for their breach of the agreement.

 

[SCCutler]

Um- I think they did, and part of the fines and such that the city had to pay was for their breach of the agreement.

The fines they paid were for closing the field without the required notice.

AOPA talks to FAA chief legal officer about Meigs Field destruction

April 8, 2003
Moving forward with the AOPA 12-point plan for the restoration of Meigs Field airport in Chicago, AOPA General Counsel John Yodice and Associate Counsel Kathy Yodice yesterday met with the acting FAA chief counsel and a senior attorney from the FAA's airports legal division.
AOPA pressed the FAA to review all legal options that may be available to the agency to preserve Meigs Field. The FAA attorneys concurred with AOPA's analysis that the traditional legal means of keeping an airport open—enforcement of grant assurances—don't apply to Meigs because all federal grants have expired. AOPA also asked the FAA to act expeditiously on the association's formal Part 157 complaint concerning Chicago's failure to follow federal notification regulations when it destroyed the Meigs runway.

 

[mikea]

Um- I think they did, and part of the fines and such that the city had to pay was for their breach of the agreement.

Sadly, Bob, CGX had no federal Grant Assurance obligations in place.

What happened to the Federal assurances that are connected to the money given for runway improvements on Meigs field.

Bob

Chicago accepted airport improvement funds for Meigs and would have had nearly 20 years left on the obligation. In the meantime, during the Clinton administration while one William Daley was Secretary of Commerce, the FAA agreed to release Chicago from the obligations once they paid the loan back. AFAIK, that is against the AIP grant rules.

The fines they paid were for closing the field without the required notice.

It was the maximum $10,000 fine, plus a few million for Chicago's legal fees paid by the citizens of Chicago. No big deal.

BTW, the bill for no-bid guy-wit-a-nose-like-dis midnight bulldozing itself was paid from the Chicago airport AIP funds.