The mayor is back and town and there was no welcome home party for him at the City Council meeting yesterday. In fact, at the first meeting since the mayor returned from Switzerland, Aldermen for the first time in (ever?) -- stood up to Mayor Daley.
Three proposals were introduced to stop tax payer liability on the Olympics. Ald. Manuel Flores introduced an ordinance to cap the city's liability for 2016 losses at $500 million, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, introduced a proposal to require bid committee chief Patrick Ryan to explain to Aldermen many financial aspects of the 2016 effort, and Ald. Edward Burke and Ald. Patrick O'Connor called for the Civic Federation to analyze the Olympic bid.
Since returning from Switzerland, the Mayor has offered several excuses as to why he put taxpayers on the line - saying he never actually signed an agreement and that this wasn't his idea.
"If they (Alderman) want to be against it, fine-they can be against it," he said. "This is not Mayor Daley's idea. Let's forget that. This is not Mayor Daley's idea. This is not Mayor Daley's plan. We went though a whole process several years ago with the U.S. Olympic Committee, and we got strong support, and we were the finalists-they selected Chicago on behalf of the United States of America. We represent the United States of America-not just Chicago. . . . If they oppose it, I have no problem with that."
The Mayor promised more details on the plan would follow and that when he had them he would brief the press on it.
Well Chicago, get ready to fork over $3.3 Billion.
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