Governor's irritated neighbors: 'He's never gone to the office this much'
'TRYING TIMES' | Media glare taking its toll in once quiet Ravenswood Manor
It's Day 7 of the beehive on Gov. Blagojevich's block, and some of his neighbors are as happy with the media as they are with the besieged pol.
In other words, not so much.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
The hovering helicopters were gone Monday, but satellite trucks and reporters doing stand-ups remained.
"The feeling is, 'What's happened to our nice, quiet neighborhood?' " said filmmaker Mary-Terese Cozzola.
"We've had trucks here at three in the morning. Everybody's running on the lawns," said a woman in a home across the street. She declined to give her name, but added acerbically, "He's [Blagojevich] never gone to the office this much."
First lady Patti Blagojevich tried to ease some ruffled feathers Monday. She sent notes to Ravenswood Manor neighbors apologizing for the "media barrage."
Her dad, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), sent an e-mail to ward residents saying, "These are indeed trying times for the Mell family, but with good friends like you, we'll weather this storm, as well."
Still, there's always a silver lining. Emily Moe, who sells handmade hats at moesewco.etsy.com, spied a fedora-clad CNN reporter and saw a potential customer.
"He was about to go on the air, and I took advantage of the fact he couldn't go anywhere. I said, 'Hey, I think you might like my stuff, here's my card,' '' she said.
Some expressed sympathy for the governor's family. Others had none, focusing on his corruption allegations.
"I was really disappointed, because I've known Blagojevich for a really long time," said James Cahill.
"I think he deserves all the attention he's getting," said Katie Claudnic.