C'mon Mr. Mayor, please don't send us down the parking meter path all over again! The Midway Airport privatization window will shut at the end of the month, and the Mayor is trying to figure out what to do. Rahm has spoken out against a meter-style leasing deal, which critics say shortchanged the city and led to steep rate hikes. And yet, he would like to find a way to grab another chunk of change for the city with a shorter lease term and more restrictions— before somebody else cashes in. The issue for the Mayor: Midway's market value has halved since 2008 and today's highest price might only erase the $1.4B in airport debt. Forget those earlier dreams of pension funding. [Crain's]
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