Mayor Daley Signs on Three More PR Firms

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 4, 2008 9:30PM

A new round of PR firm contracts, at $5 million a piece, has Mayor Daley under fire again. His administration has signed up with Valerie Denney Communications, Better World Advertising and Metropolitan Group LLC, adding to seven previously announced contracts, for a grand total of $50 million. This has not gone over well at a time when so many other cuts are being made to the city budget thanks to that pesky $420 million hole. Press secretary Jacquelyn Heard promises no payments will be made to these firms will be made until that hole is erased. So...never? Said Heard, "When you're trying to alert millions of people to hundreds of city programs, it's understandable that you need to go beyond the current level of staffing. But many of the other programs dialed back were also helpful and this is no different. You have to live within your means. Sometimes you have to make tough choices." 10 PR firms? Are we that bad off? Cause this has nothing to do with the 2016 Olympics, we're sure. Of course, Hizzonah is too busy with prognostications and parties to actually address city budget issues.