October 16, 2004

MAYOR DALEY IS WHO WE THOUGHT BILL CLINTON WAS:

Privatizing Skyway to bail out city (FRAN SPIELMAN, 10/16/04, Chicago Sun-Times)

The Chicago Skyway will be run by a private operator under a groundbreaking deal unveiled Friday that will generate $1.82 billion for the city but could see Skyway tolls climb as high as $5 by 2017.

The road's privatization, among the first of its kind in the country, is expected to spark an immediate 20 percent toll increase to $2.50. It's also likely to avert Mayor Daley's need to raise property taxes in 2005.

"It's like maybe winning the jackpot," Daley said.


The Mayor continues to pursue the Third Way like no other Democrat in America.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 16, 2004 10:29 AM
Comments

John Kerry will put a stop to all this nonsense. A nuanced society does not privatize. The collective is all. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

Posted by: Mel Turmer at October 16, 2004 10:42 AM

It works in Italy, why not Chicago?

Posted by: Bart at October 16, 2004 11:16 AM

He also knows his real allies. Look for the machine to play the presidential election straight.

Posted by: Jeff at October 16, 2004 12:15 PM

Why cheat when you are going to win anyhow?

And my memories of the Skyway were of chuckholes that could swallow VW bugs. Only a government agency could get away with charging for bad service.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at October 16, 2004 1:20 PM

Does this mean that they will stop rebuilding it and start running it?

Posted by: Robert Schwartz at October 16, 2004 3:45 PM

He also sold and leased back our 911 operation in a SILO deal.

Posted by: Rick T. at October 16, 2004 5:27 PM

Rick T.;

Now that was machine politics. It wasn't really a privitization but an abuse of tax law. It puts money in Chicago's till at the expense of federal taxpayers across the nation by shuffling some papers around. What's more Chicagoan than that?

Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at October 16, 2004 6:44 PM
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