The O’Hare/Bensenville Swindle
“O’Hare Expansion Fight Grounded for Good,” announced an NBC Channel 5 headline on the Chicago television station’s website. “City will pay Bensenville $16 million”
Well, not quite yet “for good;” there’s still a major church-state fight working its way up to the Supreme Court over whether Chicago can ride roughshod over a religion’s right maintain an undisturbed cemetery, in conformance with its tenets, in the path of the expansion plan’s most southern runway. Ignore it if you will, but the high court’s decision in the suit by St. John’s United Church of Christ opposing Chicago’s plans to relocate the 160-year-old St. Johannes Cemetery could turn out to be precedent-setting in the hot debate over separation of church and state.
But that’s a story for another day.
Today’s story is how cheaply the new administration in Bensenville sold out to Chicago to end the village’s long and righteous struggle to stop the city from tearing up the entire east side of town for a runway that might never be built. The agreement was announced with great fanfare on Monday by the Chicago Aviation Department and Bensenville’s turncoat village president Frank Soto. For the $16 million, Bensenville will lose some 600 taxpaying-homes and businesses, surrender millions of dollars of street, utility and infrastructure improvements that the village has sunk into the east side neighborhood, and wave goodbye to the largest and best managed tract of affordable housing in DuPage County. Will someone please calculate how a measly $16 million makes up for more than 100 years of investment?
Oh yes, I should explain that Bensenville will get some berms built along the airport’s boundaries, in the hopes—I suppose—that the remaining residents won’t notice the source of the noise, pollution and their lower property values on the other side. This sellout of a deal makes the village’s website hysterical reading when it proclaims: “Welcome to a Community of Diversity, Culture & Education! Bensenville, Illinois is a vibrant community known for its quiet neighborhoods and bustling business districts.”
“Quiet neighborhoods” when what’s left of the town will be subjected to unending airplane traffic from the world’s second busiest airport just yards over their heads? A “vibrant community” and “bustling business districts” when the entire stretch of Irving Park Rd. east of the railroad tracks is abandoned and dilapidated? A “diverse” community when the Hispanic and other “diverse” residents on the east side were driven out?
Chicago also has made some vague promises about partnering with Bensenville in economic development, allowing the village to retain the ability to impose taxes on property lost to Chicago (how does that work?). It also will get $20 million for sound proofing that should have come to the village in the first place but didn’t because the village was being punished for opposing the expansion.
Most important, what remains unchanged are the non-political questions about the wisdom of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s expansion plans: The settlement with Bensenville still doesn’t explain how the city will find the extra billions of dollars to pay for the already over-budget expansion. The overcrowded airspace. The dangerous and goofy airport layout that has too many taxiways crossing active runways and the extra time required for planes landing on the outer runways to reach the terminals.
Soto doesn’t explain how a new western terminal will be built over the opposition of United and American airlines—the airport’s two largest carriers (making up about 80 percent of the airport’s operations). Or how it will talk United and American into financing the most controversial part of the expansion—Phase 2. Or how the completion of the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway or the construction of a new by-pass highway won’t further negatively affect Bensenville. Or why the hell Chicago had to destroy a vibrant neighborhood when the future of the runway that would replace it is far up in the air?
Bob Schillerstrom, the DuPage County president who sold out Bensenville a few years ago to side with Daley, declaims on the wisdom of the village-city deal: “I believe that the western terminal will be built, that O’Hare expansion will take place, that western access will take place and billions of dollars will come into our local economy because of it.” He believes it. As if it were an article of faith. Despite the evidence against it. He probably will still believe it years from now when a big chunk of the east side of his county remains empty and abandoned, producing no tax revenues and dragging down the entire town with it.
**
Dennis Byrne formerly was a consultant for Bensenville, Elk Grove Village and other communities that opposed O’Hare expansion. Dennis is a regular columnist for the Chicago Daily Observer
image The Edge Ice Arena, Bensenville, IL, practice home of the Chicago Black Hawks.
Mr. Byrne fails to recognize that the 600 homes and businesses were already bought by the City of Chicago. Bensenville didn’t lose them. Also, the City – through its eminent domain powers – would only have to pony-up $6MM for the Bensenville owned streets, park and remaining properties – if the litigation continued. You can verify these facts with Judge Cullerton in the DuPage County courts.
The Bensenville residents were tired of the previous administrations wasteful spending on Lawyer fees that only delayed the inevitable. That’s why Frank Soto’s Change4Bensenville party won a landslide election last April by a two-to-one margin.
Sounds to me like a case of ‘Sour Grapes’ as far as Mr. Byrne’s concerned. He’s probably upset he’s no longer receiving his ‘consultant’ fees from Bensenville.
You can’t possibly live in Bensenville..
“goodbye to the largest and best managed tract of affordable housing in DuPage County” Are you mad?????
Though Dennis is slanted in the opposite direction of the rest of the coverage, he does offer a more accurate assesment of the “deal” that was done by the current administration of Bensenville. As a long time resident (30 plus years) it was disheartening to hear the “deal” that was struck by the current elected officials.
Ironically this administration has done what they accused the previous administration of doing, and that is keeping the constituents in the dark.
To be fair, they probably got the best they could at this time, since they made it completely clear that they wanted to have a deal asap.
Unfortunately in negotiations, you do not lay all the cards down as they did. It is clear that the airport will not be built for some of the reasons given. If the city doesn’t get the funds they need by 2012 it may not make much difference (reference not meant to end of physical world but the current favorable administration in Washington).
Regarding Bensenville’s Surrender to Chicago
(Bensenville November 17, 2009). Former Bensenville Village President John Geils expressed severe disappointment over the decision yesterday by Bensenville officials to drop Bensenville’s opposition to O’Hare expansion — calling the decision by current Village President Frank Soto an abject “surrender” to Richard Daley and the Chicago political machine. Soto, who professed his vehement opposition to O’Hare expansion during the village presidential campaign just last April, has been unmasked by his own self serving actions and at the expense of the entire future of the Bensenville community. This represents just “One more little white lie” on top of a growing number of destructive actions taken by Soto and his political cronies that directly contradicts his “pledge” to the community to protect their interests at all costs. His “Change” for Bensenville will provide a death spiral for all municipal institutions from the library to the schools.
“This is a complete sell-out of the Bensenville community by Frank Soto and the other political puppets that Richard Daley and [DuPage County Board Chairman] Schillerstrom installed in Bensenville last Spring.”, said Geils. “It will result in enormous environmental and economic future damage to Bensenville and its homeowners and taxpayers, while giving a green light to Daley’s expansion of political power”.
Geils continued: “Daley and Schillerstrom have created a toxic blend of destructive public policy mixed with an expansion of Chicago machine politics throughout the metropolitan area – including DuPage County. Look at the team players that Daley and Schillestrom have put together – players like Victor Reyes, Don Vondra, Tom Mannion, Diana Polluch and numerous other Daley machine cronies who now play on the joint Daley-Schilerstrom team and who have taken over many suburban communities.”
Geils enphasized that Bensenville’s surrender made little sense for Bensenville and would cause major damage to Bensenville and its homeowners and taxpayers.
“Our opposition was focused on stopping Runways 10R-28L and 10C-28C – both of which will cause major additional noise injury to hundreds upon hundreds of homes in Bensenville as well as increased toxic air pollution. The property value loss alone from operation of these runways will total tens of thousands of dollars per impacted home – losses which Chicago has not agreed to pay for — leaving Bensenville homeowners holding the bag. Further these property value losses form the operation of Runways 10R-28L and 10C-28C will cause even more tax revenue losses than the $5 million dollar annual loss from Chicago’s acquisition program.”
“The $16 million paid by Chicago in Bensenville’s capitulation, in large part, simply reimburses Bensenville for homes Bensenville owned. Chicago is offering no money for the huge $5 million annual tax revenue loss caused by Chicago’s acquisition program and no money for the huge property value and tax losses for remaining Bensenville homes impacted by the massive noise increases from the operation of Runways 10R-28L and 10C-28C”
Geils pointed out that the “settlement” was even a worse deal for Bensenville if, as expected, Chicago is never able to build out the remainder of the “OMP-Master Plan”.
“Like the 2016 (sure thing) Olympics, Daley’s ability to pay for the remaining more than $12 billion (still uncommitted) for the remainder of the OMP-Master Plan is an exercise in PR hot air. United and American have already said they don’t want the mult-billion dollar Terminal 4, Terminal 6 and the gargantuan Western Terminal (Terminal 7) complex that Daley has sold as part of the PR package used to justify the destruction of Bensenville.”
“United has said that United and its alliance partners (for whom the entire western compelx was designed) will not use or pay for the $3 plus billion dollar Western Terminal complex — calling it a logistical nighmare.”
“Daley says not to worry. Chicago can get the missing billions from its taxpayers through bond issues.”
“If, as is likely, Daley never builds the runways and the terminals then Bensenville is likely to be another example of the Kelo disaster.” said Geils.
“The Supreme Court in a famous case several years ago upheld the power of New London Connecticut to condemn Ms. Kelo’s well maintained home so that New London could lure Pfizer pharmaceuticals to build in New London. Now Pfizer has announced it is abandoning the New London facility.”
“What Bensenville will likely face is hundreds of acres of vacant demolished neighborhoods, millions of dollars in annual tax revenue losses, higher taxes for its remaining residents, and a political-economic boondoggle of massive proportions.”
“Like Ms. Kelo’s long lost home, the damage to the Bensenville community will be irreversible; the Daley-Schillerstrom combine will be long gone; and neither Daley nor Schillerstrom will have to face the responsbility for their debacle.
Daley is getting billions from its taxpayers through bond issues. Thanks for the warning. Another reason to move out of the city.
Wow!!! You come late to the dance and it’s slim pickens at best…..
I’ve lived in Bensenville for over 41 years and couldn’t be more excited that this administration (ANY administration) is FINALLY talking to the “powers that be”….. Let’s hope Mr. Soto can continue this dialog and better our community. The years and millions of dollars lost in opportunities and lawsuits (and lenghtly letter from paid “consultants” to local residents) should be behind us.
BTW…..
I (like “John” above) couldn’t believe my eyes when I read Mr. Bryne’s comment about Bensenville’s east side neighborhood being “… the largest and best managed tract of affordable housing in DuPage County….” Then I noted that Mr. Bryne formerly was a consultant for Bensenville, Elk Grove Village and other communities that opposed O’Hare expansion. Seems like a bit of the old “sour grapes” is letting loose with a dose of “poetic license”.
Mr. Bryne has also called this area “…a vibrant neighborhood …. everything that people say a suburb should be: affordable housing, accessible jobs, diverse neighborhood, close to transportation……”
I don’t think he’s joking….just a tad out of touch with an over-extended sense of community spirit.
Does this mean THE EDGE ICE ARENA will be knocked down? Please show a map of what land is affected by this expansion…
I am currently looking to buy a house and was thinking about buying in Bensenville. I am priced out of Elmhurst and Bensenville seemed like a good choice, but am concerned about how this expansion project will negatively effect the village. Any advice?
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