Chicago 2016 Reaches out to the Community

By Kevin Robinson in News on Feb 11, 2009 8:00PM

Facing criticism for not having true community involvement, Chicago's Olympic planners have announced a new "Outreach Advisory Council", focused on engaging interests such as affordable housing, contract procurement and affordable housing.

A group calling itself No Games Chicago has tried recently to organize residents against the city's 2016 Olympic bid, beginning with a community forum held late last month. "Our plan for the Games has been a collaborative effort since the bid's inception with the City of Chicago and the local community, among others," Lori Healey, president of Chicago 2016 told ABC7. "We look forward to continuing our community outreach efforts to ensure the Games and its resulting legacy have a positive impact on our city and the local communities." Critics of the games say that the Olympics will have a negative impact on the communities around the events, and that the millions of dollars required to prepare the city could be better spent on more pressing local needs, such as education, health care and public transit.

The Chicago 2016 Outreach Advisory Council is made up of several close allies of Mayor Daley, including former CHA Chairman (and Daley's 2007 campaign manager) Terry Patterson and former public schools chief Michael Scott. Arnold Randall, the city's former chief of planning and development is heading the outreach effort.