Lawmakers let city, airport assault suburbs
Outrage. That is what I expected from our suburban elected representatives when the mayor of Chicago announced an $8 billion expansion of O'Hare Airport. A projected 20 percent increase in passengers. More airplanes flying over our suburbs. More airplane noise. More airplane pollution. A continuing decrease in affected property values.
No, there was not any outrage from our suburban elected representatives. Nothing. Nothing that I read or heard.
In response to my telephone call, the state representative for the 56th District indicated that she may propose having airplanes slow down in their approach as a way to reduce the noise level. (If indeed the noise level can be reduced, why hasn't this already been proposed?)
The state representative also stated that Chicago owns O'Hare Airport and they do not allow interference, and there is nothing that can be done to change what the city wants to do with O'Hare. (That sure gives the people in the suburbs a good feeling.)
The FAA recently said the expansion is a win-win situation for the city of Chicago and the mayor. In other words, the expansion is being accomplished at the expense of the people living in the suburbs and their quality of life. And no one seems to care. People save money to buy a nice home in a quiet suburb and then greed and lack of political support ruin the dream.
We all know the old saying, "You can't fight city hall." It appears our suburban elected representatives very much agree with the old saying.
Bill Sowinski
Schaumburg