Perhaps it's only fitting that the Maxwell Street Market may soon be brought to you by the Bank of America. They may want to unload some toxic assets of their own there.
Ald. Walter Burnett, chairman of the city council committee that oversees the market, has reached out to the bank in his search for a sponsor to ease the burden on merchants facing higher fees imposed by the Daley administration. The administration plans to use those fees to subsidize free Jumping Jacks for neighborhood festivals. It might make more sense to find a sponsor for the Jumping Jacks, but Burnett is going back to the well with Bank of America just the same.
Last year the city experimented with Bank of America by providing it with its own booth at the market.
"But the corporate presence ticked off some longtime vendors, who see the market as place for the little guy," the Tribunereported.
"It's a flea market. It should stay that way,'' one of them said.
Ald. Bob Fioretti is also reaching out - in his case, to Coca-Cola.
"We're going to try to balance it out, and use some of the corporate sponsors that we work with, that sponsor a lot of special events throughout the city," Burnett said.
Like maybe those Jumping Jacks.
