Results tagged “nogameschicago”

A new wrinkle has developed in the race for Cook County Board President as Tom Tresser, the man behind the No Games Chicago group that opposed the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid, has announced his candidacy. The group "Friends of Tom Tresser" sent out an email to supporters yesterday indicating Tresser intended to announce this morning a run "for high local public office." It's since been learned that the office is Todd Stroger's. Said Tresser in the email, "I do this as a result of almost thirty years of civic work in the city and, most specifically, my last two years of volunteer community work." The email continues:

On this week's entry to the Chicagoist Podcast Series, we go back to the No Games Chicago folks and see what's transpired since we last spoke back in March. You'll recall that Tom Tresser joined us to discuss their efforts and their rally, and we find ourselves doing the same thing this week - but much, much closer to zero-hour. How did they get face time with the IOC? How did they get Olympic Committee eyes on anti-bid information in Switzerland? We'll find out. [Ed's Note: We reached out to Chicago 2016 early last week to get one of their reps to keep things "Fair & Balanced." Granted, most of their crew is now in Copenhagen, but we've yet to hear anything back from them. If you're still up for it, Chicago 2016, so are we! - M.G.]

Mayor Daley and the Chicago 2016 crew have some unexpected tagalongs at their IOC appearance in Switzerland. It seems a few delegates from No Games Chicago made the trip as well and were carrying literature to distribute to the IOC and it seems Chicago's competition lent a helping hand. According to the Trib's Philip Hersh:

In this week's Chicagoist Podcast, since we've seen a number of high-profile protests in Chicago over the past few weeks, Kevin and I thought we'd take to the air to discuss our experiences and our perspectives on the two No Games Chicago rallies we attended, as well as the more recent Tea Party.

                    

Organizers say they expected up to 2,000 protesters to join the No Games Chicago event yesterday afternoon, but just a few hundred showed up at 5pm in Federal Plaza at 50 W. Adams. Set to the predictable protest tunes* of "This Land is Your Land" and "Get Up Stand Up," protestors wrapped just about every anti-Daley social justice cause together under the banner of anti-Olympic sentiment.

The return of Monday means another entry into the Chicagoist Podcast Series - this week, in Stereo! This week:

When the International Olympic Committee pays Chicago a visit in April, they'll be met by a large group of dignitaries and supporters of the Chicago 2016 Summer Olympic bid. But they'll also be met by a group of anti-Olympics protesters. No Games Chicago is saying they'll have a crowd of around 2,000 protesters for the 5 p.m. march from Federal Plaza to the Aon Center (home of Chicago 2016 HQ) on Thursday, April 2. Well, as along as they're granted a permit. One organizer, Bob Quellos, says he's received a permit to form in Federal Plaza already. Quellos voiced his opposition for the Games, saying, "We think it's the wrong priority for the city with the city crumbling." Chicago 2016 President Lori Healey didn't seemed to worried about the protests, saying, "While we respect the right to free speech, we have worked hard to ensure that our Games plan will have broad benefits for the city. Chicago's passion for sport has translated into strong public support for our bid." [Chicago Breaking News]

Chicago 2016 will file its final candidacy papers February 12, and the committee reached another victory Thursday with the approval of all event venues from the 26 international federations. However, some feel that taxpayers should have a more active voice in the discussion of whether Chicago should take on the events. In addition to the panel discussion at UIC this Saturday by the organization "No Games Chicago," another group has created the "Unlympics" to create more dialogue among Chicagoans.

John Murray, chief of bid operations for Chicago 2016, said earlier this week that funding for Chicago's Olympic bid will come from a trust fund that is 100 percent privately funded. He said that public funds will not go directly toward the Olympics, and the CTA's expansion would occur without the Olympics and Bronzeville residents need not be worried about being displaced. Murray is also trying to downplay the role of the Blagojevich controversy in all this