Don't bite hand that feeds you

Home to the largest, most diversified and planned industrial complex of its kind in the nation, Elk Grove Village is considered a premier location for business and industry. The 5-square-mile manufacturing, warehousing and distribution complex alone encompasses 3,800 firms employing about 100,000 full and part-time employees and attracting numerous visitors annually. And the park's a diverse mix of local, national and international companies. The above "sales pitch" comes directly from Elk Grove Village's Web site. I only point it out as it relates to the Daily Herald's, "Good news in Elk Grove Village" opinion piece in "Saturday Soapbox." Mayor Craig Johnson is justified in extolling the virtues of his village being able to rack up a budget surplus of $2.5 million. However, Mayor Johnson's good fortune comes largely from the taxes generated from the "... largest, most diversified and planned industrial complex of its kind in the nation." The same industrial complex that by and large owes its existence and good fortune to its large neighbor to the east, O'Hare International Airport. Mayor Johnson has been a very vocal opponent of the O'Hare expansion program. A little history might show the mayor that O'Hare's steady expansion since its inception has proved to be the economic catalyst that has allowed Elk Grove Village to prosper and grow. Is there any reasonable doubt that O'Hare's continued modernization and expansion won't continue to provide Mayor Johnson the future opportunity to proudly proclaim budgets surpluses well into the future? Those companies located in the industrial park aren't there because of the weather. They are there due to their proximity to the nation's busiest airport and the gateway the airport opens to the world.

Mayor Johnson and the other mayors opposed to the O'Hare expansion should embrace the economic engine O'Hare is and also remember Orchard Field, the forerunner to O'Hare, was in place long before Elk Grove Village and surrounding communities morphed into economically viable entities capable of producing budget surpluses. Biting the hand the feeds you is not a very smart policy or smart politics.

Steve Sarich

Grayslake