State Backing Still Lacking For Chicago’s 2016 Bid

Although Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wrote the Chairman of Chicago’s Olympic exploratory committee last March that he would introduce legislation to provide a $150 million safety net for the Chicago 2016 Games if they lost money, a spokeswoman for the governor said earlier this week the legislation was never filed, reports the Chronicle Springfield.

But a spokesman for Chicago 2016 said it probably won’t hurt Chicago’s chances of winning the bid for the 2016 Games.

Peter Sandusky, spokesman for Chicago 2016, said the state commitment is still needed, but it won’t be crucial until the February 2009 deadline. “We understand the state has had other priorities”, he said.

Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speak Michael Madigan, said he doesn’t foresee a problem approving the guarantee before the next deadline hits.

Backers of Chicago’s 2016 bid are saying the state’s safety net won’t be needed. But Sandusky said getting the state guarantee remains important. “It is still a priority for us”, he said. Write or read comments about this article

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