DEFENDER STAFF WRITER
In two weeks the world will know where the 2016 summer Olympics
will be held and Chicago 2016 Chief of Staff Kurt Summers said the city's
chances of hosting the Games here are very good.
Chicago 2016, the city's official Olympic committee, has raised
millions of dollars to compete for the Games and Summers said it welcomes First
Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan to accompany the committee
to Copenhagen to help make a final presentation before the International
Olympic Committee as the IOC prepares to announce the host city Oct. 2.
Chicago is competing for the Games against Madrid, Rio de Janeiro
and Tokyo.
Summers, 30, a graduate of Whitney Young Magnet High School,
joined Chicago 2016 in February after previously working as a chief financial
officer for Balton Corp. in Chicago and as an associate for Goldman Sachs. He
also earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Washington University in St.
Louis.
Chicago 2016's offices overlook the city's skyline from the 20th
floor of the Aon Center building downtown. Summers sat down there with the
Defender and spoke passionately about the city's chances, why it is so
important that Chicago wins its bid to host the Games and clarified a few facts
and rumors about the impact the Olympics would have on Chicago and the Black
community.
Chicago Defender: Why do you think Chicago will be awarded the
Games?
Kurt Summers: Chicago is the best place to have the Olympics in
2016 because it offers venues sites no other city can provide. Besides, the
United States is ready to host the Olympics again.
CD: The City Council recently approved financial guarantees you
said are needed to remain competitive in the bid process. But what are the
chances the Games will turn out to be a financial flop and put taxpayers on the
hook?
KS: I seriously doubt if any taxpayer money will be needed to
cover losses should Chicago win the Games and it not produce well economically.
We have $2 billion in insurance to cover any losses and that would have to get
used up first before taxpayers have to help pay a dime. There is also the $500
million the City Council previously approved and money the state has committed
that must also get used before taxpayers are asked to pitch in. So this whole
notion that taxpayers will be footing the bill is just not true.
CD: What happens to Chicago 2016 if Chicago is not chosen by the
IOC next month to host the Games?
KS: If we are not selected we will begin the painful process of
dissolving Chicago 2016, which should conclude around December.
CD: What if Chicago does win the Games?
KS: Awin means we must then form a transition committee that would
assume the preparation needed for the Games. That means everyone at Chicago
2016 must reapply for their jobs, so that by March 2010 we have the transition
team in place.
CD: The momentum among Black residents seems to have changed for
the better now that the announcement is two weeks away. What do you think
changed the overall mood of Blacks who may have opposed the Games previously?
KS: I truly think the 50 meetings we held in all 50 wards made a
huge difference. People came to the meetings with preconceived notions about
the Olympics. But after we dispelled a lot of rumors and false facts, people
felt comfortable and better understood what we are trying to do. The mood now
is like night and day.
CD: Displacement is a major concern for many residents especially
low-income renters located near Olympic venues such as the $980 million Olympic
Village in the Bronzeville community. Will this massive housing project result
in displacement?
KS: The mayor said it best when he said not one person or business
will be displaced as a result of building the Olympic Village. In actuality,
businesses will benefit from the Olympics because of the extra foot traffic it
would generate from those attending the Games. And once the Olympics is over
the Olympic Village will add more affordable housing units to the community.
The Chicago Housing Authority has expressed an interest in purchasing some
units for its tenants and we are very excited about this prospect.
CD: What about jobs? The unemployment rate in Chicago continues to
climb and some economists have said in the Black community the rate is much
higher.
KS: The Olympics would create jobs and some jobs will be
designated for those who live in communities near Olympic venues. We have a
Memorandum of Understanding with the City Council that guarantees that a
percentage of jobs and housing go to minorities. The majority of residents
living near Olympic venues are Black so it's fair to assume Blacks would
benefit the most among all minorities.
CD: Former state Senate President Emil Jones has been critical
about the MOU Chicago 2016 negotiated with the City Council. He said it's a
shame and that the agreement does not go far enough to ensure Blacks get their
fair share of opportunities from the Olympics. What's your take on his previous
remarks?
KS: Sen. Jones is a good man and I have nothing but respect for
him but his remarks about the MOU were way off base. I was with Sen. Jones at a
baseball game when he told me he was getting ready to go public with his
thoughts about the MOU. I told him then I disagreed with his position as I
still do today. For example, he spoke about minorities only getting 10 percent
of the apprentice opportunities when in fact it's 50 percent when you factor in
the MOU and what the city already has in place for allocating apprentices to
minorities. The MOU is a good deal for everyone.
CD: What economic impact overall would the Olympics have on
Chicago?
KS: Chicago 2016 commissioned a study in December that identified
the potential gains Chicago stands to receive if we win the Games.
For starters, the study found that from 2011 through 2021 the
Olympics would stimulate $22.5 billion of incremental economic activity in
Illinois and $13.7 billion in Chicago. And the study also found that 315,000 new
jobs would be created in Illinois and 172,000 in Chicago.
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