The FAA
issued a press release today announcing that the agency is imposing a $33,000 fine on Mayor Daley and the City of Chicago. The fine results from Daley's dictatorial and infamous "midnight bulldozer raid" which closed Meigs Field. WLS Channel 7
has the story. The FAA is contemplating far stiffer penalties...
It appears that Mayor Daley diverted $1.5 million from federal airport improvement funds to the midnight demolition. If the formal FAA investigation, now launched, concludes that the funding diversion occurred, the agency could increase the penalty to $4.5 million (treble damages). That's because these federal tax dollars cannot be used for improper purposes, and the FAA has a responsibility to protect taxpayers.
Since the closure of Meigs Field, Chicago O'Hare Airport is by far the most delay-plagued airport in the world. The FAA reintroduced slot restrictions, limiting air traffic, with further restrictions expected. Chicago's other airport, Midway, is now the second most congested airport in the country. (Meigs Field's 20,000+ flights mostly shifted to Midway.) Moreover, Daley's raid undermined support in Congress for expanding O'Hare.
And it gets even worse. It is now more difficult for downtown hospitals to fly patients (and transplant organs). The City of Chicago is proposing building a brand new heliport, at taxpayer expense, to address the lack of such a facility downtown. The cash-strapped Chicago Park District has been unable to do much of anything with Meigs Field, and the Park District is slashing funding for neighborhood parks throughout Chicago.
Many observers describe Mayor Daley's actions as both his worst public policy and political blunder.