Elk Grove honors 2 allies in O'Hare battle

Elk Grove Village officials Tuesday night recognized two key allies in the decades-long fight against O'Hare International Airport's expansion.

The village board presented keys to the village - the highest honor - to its lead counsel in the battle, Joe Karaganis, who was made an honorary citizen, and to former Bensenville Mayor John Geils.

"(Joe) gave more time and more energy than anyone's ever going to know on our behalf," Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said. "He always promised us that he would never leave us and stay with us to the end. One of the reasons we've been protected is because of the work Joe did over the years."

Elk Grove dropped its legal challenge to the airport's expansion after the Illinois Department of Transportation dropped plans to build a connecting roadway through the heart of the Elk Grove business park. Karaganis said he enjoyed working with both villages because of their "willingness to stand up and fight for what's right."

Johnson said Geils, a longtime anti-O'Hare ally who was unseated on April 7, has been his mentor through the years.

"John and I have been in the foxhole," Johnson said. "We've been in a lot of battles. If I were ever in a bar fight, there's no one I'd want on my side but John Geils. That's the guy you want in your corner because he was not going to be bought off, paid off, taken to the top of the mountain."

Elk Grove also closed out its portion of a joint legal defense fund it shares with Bensenville. The fund was established in 2001 to finance the O'Hare expansion battle. Its financing was split 50/50 between both villages. The village spent just under $6 million in litigation and other costs in the fight. Bensenville also paid about the same, Johnson said.

After settling all its legal bills, Elk Grove had about $68,000 remaining in that account, Johnson said. The Elk Grove village board Tuesday authorized taking $60,000 from that fund to use toward a temporary jobs program for the hiring of 23 part-time employees. The remaining $8,000 will be rolled into the village's general fund.