Elk Grove mayor reflects on lessons of O'Hare fight

A day after announcing an end to Elk Grove Village's fight with Chicago over expansion of O'Hare International Airport, Mayor Craig Johnson Friday reflected on what he saw as a modern David and Goliath story.

What finally brought resolution to the issue was the Illinois Department of Transportation's narrowing of its route options for a western bypass around O'Hare International Airport. The remaining options would barely affect the village at all.

Johnson sat down with the Daily Herald to discuss the years of costly legal wrangling. Here is an edited transcript of the interview.

Q. How's it going today?

A. It's a sunny day here in Elk Grove. My wife asked me this morning, "What are you going to do now." I said, for years I've been thinking, I'd would love to get this off the table, because almost every meeting I start with my staff I say, is there any update with the airport, anything going on with that? It's always been an issue there, whether it's upfront or on the back burner, it's always been there lingering over this town. It's been 40 years. The first airport controversy we found documents on was 1969. I was 9 years old, I was in fourth grade. But it obviously heated up after Daley announced the big plan in 2001. But it's gone. Our community's been protected. All we lost was a 16-foot by 24-foot square in a parking lot where they put a light standard. That's it. We're intact."

Q. Do you consider this the best possible outcome or a compromise?

A. I don't think it's a compromise. There's no question in my heart they want to run that roadway down Busse or near that area. I mean, everything went that way. The documents we found in 2004, we found the same again in new documents in 2005 when they opened the proposal. Last year, they had that same road there again. I think they truly want it there. I think what happened was, our staff has been working with IDOT and I give them credit, we've been working well together for the past two years. I mean my staff and I have been meeting with them on a continual basis. The public input that we had on that thing - 38,000 comment cards, not just from Elk Grove but the entire region - and I think the more it became public, the more it really forced the hand. I think it was a victory for showing that people really can make a difference, and we did.

Q. How did a decision made by the state and IDOT resolve your fight with the city of Chicago?

A. It's because of Chicago that IDOT got pulled in. Because remember, they could have built the western access and the bypass road north and south back in the '80s. Because as existing property with no runway interfering ... but it's the expanded airport that forced the roadways further west. Now in 2001 when this first hit, we talked to the FAA and the FAA said after 9/11, no way will we let you put that roadway where they're going to put it now. No way, it's a security risk and all the rest. Whereas as time has gone by and things have changed, it's allowed us to go back to that area. So that's the thing. But if it wasn't for Chicago expanding the airport, the roadway would never be an issue in our town. And remember, we found when we had it up at the news conference yesterday, in August 2001, it's the first time we put a newsletter out, and the main issue in the newsletter was the roadway's going to impact us. We were never going to have a runway in our town, we were never going to have a terminal in our town. It was the roadway's push further west because of an expanded airport.

Now, Bensenville is a different story. They obviously have actual runways going into the town and all the rest. So we both were fighting the same battle, but we had different impacts on our communities. So once the roadway went away, and the things changed in Bensenville, there was really no reason for us to continue the efforts that we have.

Now, as we've stated and always state, we'll still stay vigilant. We're still going to watch. We're still going to be involved in the process. If something should change, we still stand firm that we will do whatever we have to to protect our community. And I think they know that. We have to make sure the plan is followed through. Someone said, did you get it in writing? Well, you don't get it in writing. But there's been a two-year process. If someone were now to change overnight what's gone through a two-year process by federal and state laws, as we've been advised, you've got one hell of a lawsuit to stop them.

Our goal is that that's not going to happen. Our dream is, they now do the right thing, finish it, and I said before, Chicago's allowed to do whatever they want in their own community just like we should be allowed to do what we want in our community. Where we draw the line is when they want to do something in our community.

Q. What do you remember as the low point of the past eight years?

A. That's easy. When former Gov. Blagojevich went down to Springfield with Chicago's backing (in 2003) and changed every law that protected rights of people so that Chicago could expand the airport. That to me, to this day, is a scary thing. Remember, the forest preserves have always been protected, and they still are except in Elk Grove and Bensenville. Park lands have been protected, and they still are, except in Elk Grove and Bensenville. Cemeteries are protected except, oh, St. Johannes Cemetery. So in other words, what they did was spot legislation. And I warned all my fellow mayors, they've let the genie out of the bottle, because who's to say next time that they might not go up to Evanston and say, you know, we need a new Wrigley Field and because it's such a landmark status and such an economic engine for the region, we're going to take away your rights as a community and put it there in Evanston.

I mean that's scary. They've done it once, what's to stop them in the future? You know, never in the history of this state has one municipality been able to take another municipality for its gain at the other one's loss. They've established it now, who's to stop it? And that's the scariest thing I've ever seen. Until they changed the law, we never lost a lawsuit in our efforts.

We were always victorious because the law was always on our side. So what do they do? OK, Elk Grove and Bensenville, you won the game, but now we're going to replay it because we changed the rules so you can't win. That, to me, was very depressing because I always believed in the rule of law. The laws were passed to protect the interests of people, they were passed to be fair for all people. And they were able to go down there and strip all the protections. They said, 'Oh, don't worry, other towns; you're fine. It's just Bensenville and Elk Grove that have to worry.'

Q. So it was after 2003 that things looked more bleak?

A. Well, it's depressing, there's no question. You know, we had a lot of tough things. When you get editorials written about you, blasting you, not only in your paper but I mean, the Tribune's a huge paper, when you get editorials ripping you and your town, I mean, that's depressing, especially when they don't look at the whole issue. All we're doing is trying to protect our community. Why do you fault someone for trying to protect their community?

I mean, personal safety issues, those were involved in this over the years. The exorbitant amount of money you had to use, I mean, that's tough on a town. That's depressing. There's other things we could be doing. The bottom line was, if we didn't do it, we saw what the potential impact could be and it was a no-brainer. That's why the school district joined us. All these people joined us because they saw what the potential impacts would be. You can't stand back.

Q. Were you, too, surprised by the apparent suddenness of this resolution?

A. Several things happened. I'm always optimistic. I've always kept a positive faith that I believe, one, we're right. I believe we were right and at the end of the day, right usually prevails. Two, I think in our dealings with IDOT, I think we were making a strong case and presenting a lot of evidence and information to drive it to the conclusion to which it came.

Our big fear was, they could have taken a lot longer to come up with the decision. We've been living under a cloud for a long time, but the cloud got worse because on Busse Road we had businesses not renewing leases, we had sales not going through, and that was hurting our economic engine out there. And so by IDOT getting it done so quickly, and getting the information back was a benefit to all of us. So, we're happy that it did come as quick as it did.

Q. How will the money that you raised for this fight be disposed of?

A. What's funny is, to the board's credit, back in 2001 when the airport plan came out and we were hearing the rumblings of what they were going to do, we established a legal trust fund and we set aside at that time about $5.5 (million) to $6 million. That fund carried us through the whole fight, which was good, because I know Bensenville had to create a special sales tax to keep going with the funding and other things.

We didn't have to do that. We relied on this fund that we established, what, eight years ago? And when we set that fund up, we kept thinking, hopefully that fund will hold us for three or four years. And we thought, we'll never go longer than that. We were very judicious in the expenditures. We were very careful how we approached it, and it lasted the whole fight.

And there are some funds left. Those funds will be integrated back into the general fund and all that, but we were very smart in thinking ahead that way. And so we didn't have to pass any special taxes. As a matter of fact, we've cut our property tax the past two years. We're doing well financially. We were smart. So it's like anything, we'll set this money aside and it will be used only for this effort and we came out fine.

Q. Is there any money you have to repay to Bensenville?

A. No, and that's interesting every time I hear the future mayor talk about the account. Let me explain what happened. From Day One, we've always been a partner and ally with Bensenville, and they've stood firm with us and we appreciate that. What we said was, we will split the cost of everything 50/50. Now once in a while, Bensenville will do something just in their interest. We did some things in our interest. Those things were separate. Any time there were joint interests, we would split 50/50, and we held the account. Our former finance director we kept using, even though she retired, to oversee it. When everything came in, both Elk Grove and Bensenville signed off that it's an acceptable thing, an acceptable amount, and it would be paid out of there. And each month or two, Bensenville would send us a check and we'd do it.

As a matter of fact, right now, we'll close out all the accounts as we speak. We stopped paying for everything on April 8, the day after the election, all the other law firms stopped being paid. And on April 15, (Suburban O'Hare Commission attorney) Joe Karaganis was done. And so we stopped after the election even though Bensenville's officials are duly in office until May 4. We still stopped everything, because we knew the direction the new administration was going, and fine. So everything's accounted for. I've talked to my finance lady a dozen times. She said, 'Mayor, everything's accounted for. Every i's dotted. Every t's crossed. Full public scrutiny. We have nothing to worry about.' Everything's accounted for to the penny. Any money that would be left at the end that's Bensenville's would obviously go back to them. Anything that's Elk Grove's would come back to us, and we have the charts of each time a donation was made and where the money went. It's perfectly set up. There's nothing that would not stand up under any kind of scrutiny. Of that I'm sure.

Q. What is the relationship now between Elk Grove Village and Bensenville now that this is over for Elk Grove and Bensenville is getting new leadership?

A. Obviously with Mayor Geils, he'll be a dear friend for the rest of our lives. The same thing with Joe Karaganis. When you're in a foxhole with someone, you don't forget them when the battle's over. And that's what we've been.

If you think about it, we were the two last standing. They picked off the towns around us. We've been the sole survivors. But I reached out to Mayor Soto, left a message actually with his secretary at his business, talked to her personally and left two on his home phone number answering machine. He never returned his calls. I find it ironic that every time the press calls him, he's available to talk to them. He was on the news last night and talked to them, but a mayor to the north of him who wants to work with him on other issues besides than the airport, I mean we've got interconnections of different things we work with, our towns respond with each other on things.

I mean it's more than the airport that we work with Bensenville on, and my hope is that we can work continuously, but he's been nowhere to be found. He's never called me back, never talked to me. And that's why when we got wind that the roadway was going to be decided yesterday, and in light of all I can go by is his public comments - I haven't talked to him, haven't had the opportunity - our feeling was, we've got to go on.

Right now, I feel mixed emotions. I feel very bad for the people of Bensenville. I feel very bad for the people at St. Johannes Cemetery. I've been in that town so many times I feel like an elected official there. They always greeted me so nicely. They were always very friendly toward me. They welcomed me, applauded what we did. I feel bad for them. Obviously, Elk Grove is in good shape now. I know what's going to happen in Bensenville down the road. They're going to have some very serious problems and my heart goes out to them. It really does. But they chose a new elected leader, it was a different direction to go, and that's the democratic process. I have no problem with that. And I wish them nothing but the best.

Q. Where does this solution leave the fortunes of a Will County airport?

A. I still say to this day, even if you expand O'Hare, it's not going to meet the capacity needs of the future. You still need a third airport. Especially, and I feel more vindicated today than ever before, in this economy why wouldn't you build a privately funded, privately at-risk airport, which is what that is. But more importantly, this is an airport that all the towns around it have a piece and a say in it, unlike O'Hare which is run by Chicago and to hell with the rest.

And if it fails, who's money is lost? The private developer. And it will not take away from O'Hare. It will complement O'Hare. New York's got three airports, Los Angeles has five. We've got one and a half.

Q. How do you think Elk Grove residents in decades to come will look back at this chapter in the village's history?

A. I think it shows that a community can stand up and fight for what it believes and be successful. Yesterday, I was asked by a reporter if I felt like David, and I said, in a way we do. Because if you look at the overwhelming opposition to what we were trying to do, a lot of communities caved in. We didn't. And even if you look at this last election, I ran for a fourth time unopposed. We never lost our community support, and that was huge on this. I think it's finally sinking in that, hey, we did something pretty special here. We were able to protect a community and its future, and that's something we should be pretty darn proud of.