There is a petition online at http://www.petitiononline.com/meigs/ directed to Mayor Daley requesting that Meigs be kept open. So far it has 3700 signatures from mostly pilots. I doubt that this alone will do any good, but along with your calls to your favorite member of congress, donation to the AOPA PAC and staying away from Chicago it can’t hurt.
Stuart
Stuart,
As I was flying over Meigs today I got an idea. One of Chicago’s claims to fame is its festival season. There are all sorts of events along the lake shore all summer. One of the most popular is the Air and Water Show. Wouldn’t it be GREAT if all the participants (several aerobatic teams, The Thunderbirds or Blue Angels etc) could be persuaded NOT to come and thereby force cancellation of the show. It would be a huge embarassment for the Mayor.
There is a big dinner in Chicago this Sunday to raise money for Friends of Meigs. I’m going to try to be there and see if anyone there thinks my idea has any merit.
Hi Stuart,
Alas, online petitions aren’t always effective. (See http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/1999/05/10/petitions/http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/1999/05/10/petitions/ for an article on this topic.) For me, there’s no substitute for making a personal call or writing a real letter.
That being said, it surely can’t hurt to give this petition a try (my name’s on it) — but ideally, every person who adds their name to the petition will also send a personal letter to Hizzoner.
Cheers,
Roger
Here’s another link to the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/meigs/http://www.petitiononline.com/meigs/
Jerry,
As a former Chicago denizen, I remember how popular the airshow was, and I love your idea. It would represent a HUGE black eye for the little demagogue–maybe a pair of `em!
Best of all, would be RELOCATING the event to another GA-friendly city, perhaps one with a viable lakefront airport such a Burke in Cleveland or even City Centre in Toronto–that would get them talking in Chi-town!
Realistically, scheduling, logistics, security, and the separate agendas of each performing group may render this a pipe dream, but let us know about the reaction you get.
–Michael
I added my name to the petition. I will also write his
*^%##@@@ letting him know that I WILL NOT stop in Chicago on my midwest trip next month.