The worst-kept secret in Chicago: Mayor Richard Daley is considering privatizing Midway International Airport. Dana Levenson, the city’s CFO, has stated officially that the idea has been discussed but is not under serious consideration. According to Levenson, the idea has surfaced as a way for the city to raise money without increasing taxes. “It’s really just thinking outside the box,” Levenson said. “We’re just considering all the possibilities.”

State Rep. Robert Molaro (D-Chicago), who represents the district in which the airport is located, has publicly stated that the possibility of the airport being privatized is “unlikely.” However, Chicago-area pilots still feel the sting dealt to them the last time Daley looked at a Chicago airport. The city’s former lakefront jewel, Merrill C. Meigs Field, now hosts rock concerts after Daley in March 2003 had the runway destroyed in the middle of the night without warning.