Governor may sell Thompson Center Other properties also could be sold to close budget gap

Gov. Blagojevich is prepared to sell state property, including theglitzy Thompson Center and the tollway authority's palatial DownersGrove headquarters, in an effort to eliminate a nearly $5 billionbudget deficit.

Blagojevich will deliver his first budget address Wednesday. Itcalls for holding the line on income and sales taxes and raising somefees while increasing the amount spent on education and publicsafety. Blagojevich will outline a plan that calls for selling somestate property and cutting staff.

He took office at a time when Illinois is facing what the governorhas called the worst fiscal crisis in the state's history.

Three of the four legislative …