Illinois Mayor to Residents: Leave Town to Buy Gas

An Illinois mayor has an odd request for residents of his town: Don't buy gas here! New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann is annoyed, as are many residents, that New Lenox gas stations tend to charge more than those in neighboring areas. At a New Lenox Speedway, the price is $4.14 per gallon; a nearby Speedway in Frankfort charges five cents less. Same with BP: in New Lenox, $4.19; in Frankfort, $4.07. "The only way we can send a clear message to the companies is for our residents to shop elsewhere," Baldermann says.

"I come from Joliet a lot, and I’ve found it to be 10 to 15 cents cheaper out there," one resident tells CBS 2. Adds another, "The price is terrible." Baldermann explains that New Lenox gas companies set prices based on in-town competition rather than out-of-town competition, so going outside New Lenox for gas is the only way to encourage gas stations to change their ways. (More gas prices stories.)