Chicago 2016's Dueling Ordinances

Ordinances highlight key differences in oversight

A month before Chicago even learns if it'll get the 2016 Olympic Games, aldermen and the mayor are already putting forth legislation regarding what will happen when the city is chosen as the host.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's ordinance would put Ald. Edward Burke (14th), who is head of the city's finance committee, and Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), who heads the government and business affairs committee, at the helm of planning and running Chicago 2016.

Ald. Manuel Flores (1st) and three other aldermen introduced a second bill which gives oversight responsibilities to aldermen, the Inspector General and a private citizens board.  It would also require Olympic committee employees who earn at least $50k a year to file financial disclosure statements that will be public information.

"We are calling for the publication of any reports that OCOG (the Organizing Committee of Olympic  Games) must submit to the IOC.  If it's good enough for the IOC, it should be good enough for our city to know what this is all about," Flores said.

Reports are one thing, but Chicago 2016 CEO Patrick Ryan said he will stop short of agreeing to expose everything to the Freedom of Information process.

Doing so could be a deal-breaker for the International Olympic Committee, he said.

"I don't think that they want every e-mail that, that they send to us and say, 'Have you looked at this? Have you done that? Or maybe we want this changed. Or let's have a discussion.'  It gets published as fact," Ryan said Tuesday.

The Chicago 2016 bid committee currently doesn't release financial closure statements.

Full Coverage:  Chicago's 2016 Olympic Bid

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