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Alderman Asks: Who's Stealing Orange Cones Marking The Worst Potholes?

(CBS) -- There's a mystery in Chicago: Who's stealing relatively inexpensive orange cones warning motorists about potholes ahead?

Ald. Scott Waguespack of the 32nd Ward took to Twitter to vent.

CBS 2's Chris Martinez picks up the story.

Near the corner of Damen and Webster, pavement once resembling a road now looks more like a lunar surface.

The craters are so deep Waguespack has placed cones in his ward's deepest holes as a heads-up to drivers.

"This just causes serious problems for anybody hitting it," he says.

But the public service is now being undone. In one spot, two of three cones were removed, Waguespack says.

Meanwhile, Waguespack says the city's response to an epidemic of potholes has been disappointing.

"I don't think you can blame it all on weather. It was really bad, but we have to have a system in place that addresses these worst problem areas."

The missing cones aren't expensive, about $8 each. As for who's taking them, the alderman has no idea.

He's hoping whoever it is might be placing them in deeper holes and paying that public service forward.

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