Dec 15, 2008 1:24 pm US/Central
Patti's Plea: We Hope Media Barrage Ends Soon
Governor's Wife Sends Typewritten Note To Neighbors Apologizing For 'Media Barrage'
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Patti Blagojevich broke her silence Monday on the scandal surrounding her husband, issuing a brief apology to her neighbors for the ''media barrage'' that has descended upon their Northwest Side neighborhood. CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports.
The state's first lady avoided any specific mention of her husband's arrest and the resulting crisis engulfing state government. Rather, she had a three paragraph typewritten note delivered to homes along their Ravenswood Manor block.
One neighbor calls it a nice letter because it offers more than a greeting.
The note, which someone taped to doors in the Ravenswood Manor community says, "My husband and I would like to apologize to you and your family for the media barrage that descended on our neighborhood. While we signed up for this kind of attention, by choosing life in public service, you didn't."
She goes on to write that she hopes the media attention will subside, "not only for the sake of our children, but also for you and your family.''
A few neighbors are sick of the spotlight. One man called the note "wrapping on a bad present."
Neighbors say the charges against the governor have resulted in crowded conditions on the typically quiet, tree-lined streets around the Blagojevich home.
"It's hard to find parking especially in cold weather. You know, it's just a nice neighborhood that's been changed for this brief period," said one Blagojevich neighbor.
The new president of the Illinois state senate, John Cullerton, also lives near the Blagojevich home. His family saw the letter Monday evening.
Pamela Cullerton says elected officials should know cases like this could arise.
"I can understand where she would want to apologize. There's a lot of cameras around, there's a lot of helicopters, but it's not too bad," she said. "And it's gotten better. Last week was bad. But this week, it's not too bad."
Gov. Blagojevich was arrested last Tuesday and taken away from their home by FBI agents. Since then, media has been camped out in front of the house, capturing the family's every move. The governor has been charged with attempting to sell off President-elect Obama's vacant Senate seat, among other corruption charges.
On Monday, impeachment proceedings against the governor began in Springfield.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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