Results tagged “olympocalypse”

While Daley decried the press for writing his political obituary too soon and declared that there would be no political fallout for his failed 2016 Olympic bid, the fact of the matter is that he's said publicly that he hasn't decided if he's going to run for mayor in 2011 or not. That's not a shocker - lots of politicians play coy when asked about an election that's still too far on the horizon to predict. Nevertheless, Chicagoans have been whispering about the impending municipal elections for days now (if not months). And while the mayor hasn't made anything official just yet, his brother (and former U.S. commerce secretary) Bill expects Richie to run again. "Win or lose, the Olympics were never going to determine what Rich Daley was going to do," William Daley told the Tribune. "I believe he runs again. I just assume he does. He still has the enthusiasm for the job."

With Chicago's Olympic hopes dashed, the local organization that dared us to Imagine Letting Friendship Shine will begin to close up shop. Chicago 2016 is expected to lay off nearly 60 members of its support staff, retaining a skeleton crew as it winds down operations by year's end. All of the brain power and dreamers, many collecting six-figure salaries from the organization, will go back to their corporate jobs or on to other lucrative jobs. What's left of Chicago 2016 will be dissolved, and its remaining finances will be donated to World Sport Chicago, who's mission is to "uphold and advance the Olympic ideals in every day life through active participation in Olympic and Paralympic sports" by bringing sports opportunities to Chicago youth.

Losing the 2016 Summer Olympic bid was shocking enough to many Chicagoans; coming in last place was a blow to the ego of a city with a chip on its big shoulders. After two years of wrangling, six months of hype, arm-twisting in the city council and literally millions of dollars in private contributions to pull the bid off, Mayor Daley is coming back to Chicago empty handed, and many people (including those inside City Hall) are asking what went wrong.

It's the morning after the Olympocalypse and the weather reflects the general mood of the city. It's subdued and dreary, chilly and a bit damp. Okay, that doesn't quite match the mood, but it's close. Cloudy skies and scattered showers are the rule of the day with highs in the mid 50s. There's more of the same tonight, with lows around 50, but don't worry, Chicago. The sun will come tomorrow.