Editing Richard M. Daley (section)

==== Daley orders demolition of Meigs Field ====
[[File:Meigs field runway4.JPG|thumb|right|Meigs Field Runway a few days after destruction ordered by Mayor Daley, April 2003]]
A long-standing agreement between the city and state required the city to maintain and operate [[Meigs Field]], a small, downtown, lakefront airport on [[Northerly Island]] used by [[general aviation]] aircraft and helicopters, until 2011 or turn it over to the state. On September 12, 1996, the City Council approved Daley's plan to convert the airport into a park, and the state began planning to take over operation of the airport.<ref>{{cite news | title=Heavyweight Brawl on Lightweight Airport | date=September 12, 1996 | access-date=December 1, 2012 | author=Terry, Don | newspaper=[[New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/12/us/heavyweight-brawl-on-lightweight-airport.html}}</ref> Fresh off a 2003 re-election mandate, one of Daley's first major acts was ordering the demolition of Meigs Field. On Sunday, March 30, 2003, shortly before midnight, transport trucks carrying construction equipment moved onto Meigs with Chicago Police escort. By early Monday morning, city crews excavated six large X's into the only runway. The city's 50 aldermen, Illinois Governor [[Rod Blagojevich]], the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] and the [[Department of Homeland Security]] were not consulted on the plan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Daley rips up Meigs runways in surprise raid; Terror concerns prompt closing, irate mayor says |date=April 1, 2003 |first1=Gary |last1=Washburn |first2=Jon |last2=Hilkevitch |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/04/01/daley-rips-up-meigs-runways-in-surprise-raid/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Daley's midnight raid |date=April 1, 2003 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/04/01/daleys-midnight-raid/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/01/us/chicago-mayor-bulldozes-a-small-downtown-airport.html | title=Chicago Mayor Bulldozes A Small Downtown Airport | date=April 1, 2003 | access-date=December 1, 2012 | author=Fountain, John W | newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> The demolition of the runway trapped planes. In the days following, many of those aircraft were able to take off using the [[taxiway]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/03-2-014x.html |title=AOPA Online: Stranded Meigs pilots can go NOW! |publisher=Aopa.org |access-date=January 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720045652/http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/03-2-014x.html |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

"To do this any other way would have been needlessly contentious," Daley explained at a news conference Monday morning.<ref>{{cite news |title=When the mayor bulldozed an airport |date=May 1, 2011 |first=Eric |last=Zorn |url=http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2011/05/when-the-mayor-bulldozed-an-airport.html |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> Daley argued that the airport was a threat to Chicago's high-rise cityscape and its high-profile skyscrapers, such as the [[Willis Tower|Sears Tower]] and the [[John Hancock Center]]. Daley criticized the Federal Aviation Administration, saying "Now, think of that; Mickey and Minnie have it. I mean, I can't believe that. They get it first before we get it?", referring to the post-[[9/11]] air space restrictions in place over [[Orlando, Florida]].<ref name=commentary>{{cite news |title=Rich commentary, The words of Mayor Richard M. Daley |date=April 30, 2011 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-30/news/ct-met-daley-quotes-0501-20110430_1_flight-attendants-racial-politics-chicago-river|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923074848/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-30/news/ct-met-daley-quotes-0501-20110430_1_flight-attendants-racial-politics-chicago-river|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 23, 2011}}</ref><ref name=stoopidest/><ref>{{cite news |title=Daley blasts air-ban decisions, Mayor vents anger over flight curbs for Disney parks |date=March 20, 2003 |first1=Michael |last1=Kilian |first2=David |last2=Heinzmann |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-03-20/news/0303200314_1_flight-restrictions-homeland-security-department-parks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602101341/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-03-20/news/0303200314_1_flight-restrictions-homeland-security-department-parks|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 2, 2015}}</ref> "The signature act of Richard Daley's 22 years in office was the midnight bulldozing of Meigs Field," according to ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' columnist [[Eric Zorn]].<ref>{{cite news |title=When the mayor bulldozed an airport; Daley's action inspired admiration, outrage and amusement |date=April 30, 2011 |first=Eric |last=Zorn |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/04/30/when-the-mayor-bulldozed-an-airport/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] }}</ref> "He ruined Meigs because he wanted to, because he could," ''Chicago Tribune'' columnist [[John Kass]] wrote of Daley.<ref name=richandme>{{cite news |title=Rich and me: How we fell out; I once believed in the bungalow mayor, the neighborhood guy who didn't put on airs. Unfortunately, that guy didn't exist |first=John |last=Kass |author-link=John Kass |date=May 5, 2011 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0505-20110505,0,3260675,full.column |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509031035/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0505-20110505,0,3260675,full.column |archive-date=May 9, 2011  }}</ref> "The issue is Daley's increasingly authoritarian style that brooks no disagreements, legal challenges, negotiations, compromise or any of that messy give-and-take normally associated with democratic government," the ''Chicago Tribune'' editorialized.<ref>{{cite news |title=A pre-emptive strike on Meigs |date=April 1, 2003 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/04/01/a-pre-emptive-strike-on-meigs/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> The Federal Aviation Administration cited the city for failure to comply with federal law requiring thirty-day advance notice to the FAA of plans for an airport closure. The city was fined $33,000,{{efn|{{inflation|US|33000|2003|fmt=eq}}{{inflation/fn|US}}}} the maximum allowable. The city paid the fine and repaid $1 million{{efn|{{inflation|US|1000000|2003|fmt=eq}}{{inflation/fn|US}}}} in misspent federal airport development grants. Daley defended his actions by claiming that the airport was abandoned, in spite of the fact that the Chicago Fire Department had several helicopters based on the field at the time, in addition to the dozens of private aircraft left stranded.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=b97838cf-68d0-4d01-8dfc-bffd3366a7ff |title=Daley Cries 'Uncle', Reaches Deal with FAA for Meigs Mess |publisher=Aero-News |date=September 19, 2006 |access-date=December 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729081533/http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=b97838cf-68d0-4d01-8dfc-bffd3366a7ff |archive-date=July 29, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>