Story posted Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Schmidt: O'Hare Lawsuits Not The Answer
Possible litigation against O'Hare Airport by the city of Park Ridge was discussed at the city council meeting on Monday, Jan. 18.
Mayor Dave Schmidt explained he and most of the aldermen have been receiving emails urging the council to pursue a lawsuit against O'Hare to try to stop the planes flying over the city. Schmidt has stated in the past that he does not believe litigation will solve the problem with noise or pollution from the aircraft. He thinks any solution would come from political pressures.
"There are a lot of people that think that simply throwing money at this issue is going to solve the problem," Schmidt said. "I am always open to new ideas and new approaches to a problem, but I am not in favor of throwing money away to a losing proposition. Litigation's been tried before and has been quite unsuccessful."
City Attorney Everette Hill also addressed the issue. The O'Hare Airport Commission has asked the city council to meet in closed session with an out-of-state attorney. The commission believes the attorney has a new approach that could lead to successful litigation.
Hill explained the council could only meet with the attorney in open session and the commission asked if he could speak to the attorney separately. "I certainly am not an aviation lawyer," Hill said, but added he has reviewed several related lawsuits. "I think I do have the ability to discern whether these folks do have anything new to bring to the table."
Hill stated his payment from the city includes hours at city hall two times a week. He promised to conduct talks with the other attorney while at city hall. If he must conduct talks outside of those hours, he stated he would not charge the city for that time.
"I don't have a problem with asking questions," Schmidt agreed.
Schmidt worried that even if Hill believes the litigation could ultimately be successful, it would be expensive and could take years. He encouraged residents to contact their federal representatives as an immediate course of action. "They're the ones with the real power," he said. "If you want to get the attention of the people in Washington, the best way to do it is to make it a campaign issue."
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