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Though a party from Chicago 2016 is actually in Africa to promote the City's Olympic bid, using a message from President Obama in the pitch, the City's bid team is beginning to focus locally. With an upswing in anti-Olympic sentiment and even rumblings from within the City Council, Chicago 2016 is taking no chances. Between Wednesday and the October 2nd IOC selection, Chicago 2016 will be holding various community meetings for each wards - often grouped together - to meet with the public. The first meetings have already been set.
- July 8 at 5:30 PM: 11th, 12th and 25th Wards - McKinley Park Field House - 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
- July 13 at 5:30 PM: 39th and 40th Wards - North Park University’s Hamming Hall - 3225 W. Foster Ave.
- July 14 at 6:30 PM: 28th Ward - Garfield Park Field House (Gold Dome) - 100 N. Central Park Ave.
- July 15 at 5:30: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Wards - South Shore Cultural Center - 7059 South Shore Dr.
Future meetings will be listed here. Kurt Summers, chief of staff for Chicago 2016 said, "It's the same format we've been doing, we're just now pushing even further as we approach the final date. We expect to reach thousands of Chicagoans between now and Oct. 2." [Tribune]
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My favorite part of this is how they're at a totally convenient time for people who work 9-5 downtown. I guess that's one way to keep people from asking too many tough questions...
Yes, because no one faces more discrimination in Chicago than white collar workers with office jobs in the Loop.
And only they have the intelligence and foresight to come up with tough questions about the Olympics.
Meeting starts at 5:30pm, will probably run for hours. Gives plenty of time for the "9-5" worker to make the meeting while it is still in session.
So whats your beef ?
The 5:30 pm time works for people who want to ask hard questions because the Chicago 2016 people can just say, "We talked about that already, but you were late," to make the person feel totally inadequate even if no one brought up the issue.
The only reason to have a meeting start at 2 pm or 5:30 pm is to exclude people or have people miss a part of the meeting.
I doubt that people who work downtown are the only group who may be excluded. There may be people who live on the Southside but work on the Northside, or vice versa, and will find it hard to arrive on time to a meeting that starts at 5:30 pm. But let's be honest. While people may be around during the summer, folks often take vacations during the summer, too.
I find it funny how NOW Chicago 2016 wants to hold meetings. When people in North Lawndale invited them to a meeting several weeks ago, the answer was that they were only going to meetings held in Park District or partner facilities. Now they are going to be going to meetings that they call in places that they determine. It's all about CONTROL. They get to control the information and they get to control what is disclosed before October. Welcome to the new Chicago. I dare someone to ask about the insurance policy that covers costs that go over budget by $1 billion. Is that like car insurance or homeowner's insurance? Under what conditions would the policy be activated (does Chicago have to have an earthquake or a tsunami)? Or how about if their low budget numbers suddenly balloon after the IOC vote or when the venues HAVE to be built. If $4.8 billion becomes $10 to $15 billion, then what?
Exactly.
Ironically, the IOC are the only people who can save Chicago from the Olympics. The people we elect (from alderman to president) were all on board from the beginning.