Alderman Wants Hearings on Privatizing Taste of Chicago. Daley Opposed to $20 Admission

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 6, 2011 7:20PM

Let the tough talk begin: after news broke earlier this week about the sole bid for privatizing Taste of Chicago included possible fees for admission and the main concert stage, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, chairman of the City Council's Committee on Special Events and Cultural Affairs, says that there should be public hearings about the proposal.

Burnett said that, while he isn't opposed to the proposal floated by Celebrate Chicago LLC (the partnership of the Illinois Restaurant Association, JAM Productions and AEG Live) hearings should be held so that his colleagues and business owners have their say.

Meanwhile Mayor Daley said the idea of charging $20 on nights and weekends for the festival was "unacceptable," but stopped short himself from saying whether there should be an admission or not. Which Leads to today's Daleyism:

"It's called Taste of Food. We're not in it for music, we're not in it for anything else," Daley said at a news conference to announce expanded after school programs. "We get into tangents, and the cost is going up. We're going to get it back down, and do the Taste of Chicago for food, and that's all."

Try telling that to the thousands who visit Taste to see the concerts at Petrillo Band Shell. Maybe we should get rid of the nostalgia revues that pass for concerts in recent years. That should save some money.