All of us here in Chicago are well aware of Mayor Richard Daley's never-ending crusade to bring the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to our Windy City. But he won't be the only mayor rooting for our fine city.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors agreed to officially endorse Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics and will actively campaign on Chicago's behalf.
"This is all about ensuring that the International Olympic Committee realizes the effort on the part of Chicago has strong support from across the United States," said Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, co-chair (along with Mayor Daley) of the U.S. Conference of Mayors 2016 Chicago Olympics Task Force, reports WBBM Newsradio.
The mayors plan to reach out to their international sister cities as well as hold a national Olympic Day on June 23, getting current and former U.S. Olympic athletes involved.
Daley said that President-elect Barack Obama has already promised to help promote the Chicago bid to the IOC in person later this year.
"Our ace in the hole in all of this is our President-elect," Hannemann said. "He will be able to woo and charm the IOC as only he can to cast a winning vote in our favor but it really comes down to reinforcing that with boots on the ground."
