I woke up one day last week and saw what looked to be a miracle on the front page of the business section in my Chicago Tribune, home-delivered as always.
Call me jaded. Call me a skeptic. Call me Ben if you insist. But I could not believe that anyone—much less a big corporate operation—would give up so much money unless they had a metaphorical gun to their head.
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Bummer. Another blow to my faith in man’s innate benevolence.
Mayor Richard M. Daley, who pretty much invented the TIF program in Chicago, decided to shower United with $5.6 million on the grounds that it would be a shot in the arm for our economy and civic pride to have another corporate powerhouse call the Windy City home.
Not that anyone at City Hall would pay attention, as we painfully learned in regards to Republic Windows and Doors. That’s the fiasco where the city gave $10 million in TIF funds to a company that broke its promise to maintain a full workforce at its plant on Goose Island.
It’s hard to see how the move contributes much toward developing the city. Yes, the landlord at Willis makes out. But the landlords at 77 W. Wacker now have a pretty big hole to fill.
Well, not to disagree with our mayor—since you know I never do that—but I can think of about 40 million other reasons why United should be committed to Chicago and its business landscape for many years to come. v
