District 6 candidates accept reality of O'Hare expansion
Fourth in a series on the issues facing 6th Congressional District Democratic candidates Jill Morgenthaler and Stan Jagla in the Feb. 5 primary.
Opposition to O'Hare International Airport expansion has been a hallmark of congressional representatives in the 6th District.
Veteran Congressman Henry Hyde fought an O'Hare modernization plan, and his Republican successor, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton, shares that view.
But the two Democrats who want to unseat Roskam in November see the issue differently.
Democrats Stan Jagla of Roselle and Jill Morgenthaler of Des Plaines, who are running in the Feb. 5 primary, say the reality is that O'Hare is going to grow.
Morgenthaler, a former top state adviser on homeland security, said the time for blocking plans for new runways is over.
"Anyone who says they'll stop the expansion isn't telling the truth," she said. "What I want to do is make sure any promises made to the homeowners within Bensenville (are) kept by the city of Chicago and executed by the Federal Aviation Authority."
Jagla, a businessman, says growing O'Hare will provide a business boom.
"It's going to improve the local economic conditions," he said. "It will bring jobs to the area, bring businesses to the area, bring additional tax revenue. It's a good thing."
While the towns of Bensenville and Elk Grove Village in the 6th District are fighting buyouts of homes and businesses by the city of Chicago for the airport improvements, Jagla says "the vast majority of the local community supports it."
Purchasing properties is "not highway robbery," he added.
"They're not stealing someone's properties," he said. "They're buying it on the open market. Nobody was forced."
On other transportation issues, Morgenthaler endorses completing the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, and Jagla said he backs the STAR Line, a commuter train expansion proposed by Metra to connect points such as Joliet, Hoffman Estates and O'Hare.
Closely related to transportation is energy consumption, with many Democratic presidential candidates proposing plans to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
Jagla was somewhat skeptical of corn-based ethanol as a replacement for gasoline.
"People are saying it's not really energy-efficient because you're putting more energy into (producing) it than you're getting out," he said, adding that there are concerns that using corn for ethanol is driving up food prices.
As for Congress' recent decision to ramp up fuel efficiency to 35 mpg by 2020, Jagla said the standard could have been stricter.
Morgenthaler contends, "Dependency on oil is not just about cars. This is where Washington has let us down."
She faults the Bush administration for "neglecting science" and says Congress needs a far-reaching policy to reduce the energy consumption and burning of fossil fuels that are blamed for global warming.
The 6th District includes parts of northeast DuPage and northwest Cook counties.