Halvorson: Rep. Jackson, Cook County Shouldn't Control Peotone Airport
PEOTONE, Ill. (CBS) -- U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s primary challenger, Debbie Halvorson, says a Peotone airport controlled by Cook County won't fly.
As WBBM Newsradio's Nancy Harty reports, Jackson said Monday that Gov. Pat Quinn is very close to making a major announcement about plans for the long-discussed third Chicago area airport in Peotone.
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But Halvorson, a former U.S. Representative herself, says a deal won't work if local authorities are left out of the development and control of Peotone.
Halvorson says the reason Quinn and the last three governors before him haven't been able to strike a deal on the airport is because of what she calls Jackson's "my way or the highway" attitude about the project.
Quinn has said in the past that he wants to spend $110 million more on land acquisition, but a spokeswoman says Quinn's office has no news on Peotone at this point.
Halvorson is running against Jackson in the newly drawn 2nd District after losing her 11th District seat to Republican Adam Kinzinger two years ago.
An aviation expert recently said the airline industry won't support a Peotone airport because of bankruptcies, consolidations and investments elsewhere.
But Halvorson, Jackson and Quinn all support Peotone, saying it will bring jobs to the south suburbs.
Even before they ran against each other, Halvorson and Jackson clashed over which officials would control the Peotone airport and the jobs it would generate.
