Will County Board Wants Control Over Peotone Airport

Members of the Will County board want governance of the proposed Abraham Lincoln Airport in Peotone to lie with them. 

“They just don’t get it,” Will County Executive Larry Walsh told Chicago Tribune.

“There should be no question that if a facility like this is going to come to Will County …. who else other than Will County residents should be the majority of a governance board? If you went into Cook County or Chicago, you better believe there would be no question (over who has control)." 

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has proposed that the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission would govern the airport, including having control of appointments to the commission. The commission included 21 municipalities in December, including University Park, Park Forest, South Holland and Lansing. 

Will County Board Chairman Jim Moustis told the Trib state and federal officials could not "dump" the airport on Will County. 

“I am not going to sit here in silence,” said Moustis, a Frankfort Republican. “I’m not going to let this governor, or past governors … you will not dump on us. We will fight you all the way.

“If they’re going to force it here, it will be on our terms, not on somebody else’s,” he added. “Gov. (Pat) Quinn, you will not treat us like somehow we’re second class citizens and we don’t exist. You don’t think you need us. You might find out different later.”

Walsh, and recently former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorsen have speculated Quinn will make an announcement in February about the proposed airport, according to the Trib. 

Walsh remains in talks with Quinn's office regarding the airport, the Trib reported. 

Jackson asked Woodridge at a Dec. 21 village board meeting. 

“Your joining would signal an avalanche of other home-rule municipalities in Will County to encourage the Governor to begin construction of this project, and that’s why I’m here,” Jackson told the board. 

Whether or not will join the commission has not been discussed further in public. The ordinance to join ALNAC did not appear on the agenda for a Jan. 12 village board meeting. Village officials have said discussion continues regarding the matter.  

Two letters to the editor have been submitted on the topic: 

You can write your own and submit it to melissat@patch.com. Letters to the editor must be 300 words or fewer.