Park Ridge Wants Jim Hendry Street Signs Taken Down

Chicago - The Park Ridge mayor wants a pair of streets signs taken down. The signs marking "Honorary Jim Hendry Way" are along Northwest Highway at Touhy.

Former Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry was fired last week, and he lives in Park Ridge.

The state owns this part of Northwest Highway, and two years ago former Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered the signs put up. He's a big Cubs fan.

But Park Ridge Mayor Dave Schmidt said his city never wanted the signs, and when Hendry got fired he was reminded of the issue.

So he's asking the state Department of Transportation to take them down.

“This is nothing personal against Jim Hendry -- we're proud to have him as a resident -- but the fact is that Governor Blagojevich imposed this on us,” Schmidt said. “He is gone now, as is Mr. Hendry, so it seemed like a good time to ask the state to take it down."

Mayor Schmidt also joked that if Hendry had won a World Series, he would have built a monument to him.

The Park Ridge mayor points out that shortly before the Hendry signs went up, his city passed a law banning honorary street designations.

But it also has a street sign in honor of Hillary Clinton, and no one is asking that that one be taken down.

The Department of Transportation said it will consider the matter when it gets a formal request from Park Ridge.