In the grand scheme of things, $4.5 million really isn't that much to the city of Chicago. To us, that's a lot of money: to Daley and friends, it's an inconvenience until the commercial development that is certainly planned for that real estate comes into fruition. If there is no high rise condo building built on the site of Meigs, there will be one built somewhere else that coud have been or is currently a park ("Since the city of Chicago has all this new park land here, we don't need this park here...")
No doubt about it, there is something afoot to line the pockets of the Daley corporation. Perhaps the plans are delayed while the flak dies down over Meigs, but someday, somewhere in Chicago, someone that is close to Daley will make money off of the closure of Meigs.
I hope that Phil Boyer finds a way to nail Daley for being a lying scumbag.