The DePaul stadium saga continues

[Mr. Neutral]

DePaul is hell-bent on taking any deal where they have to spend as little money as possible, which I get, but it's also a half-assed way to do things. I don't know why more DePaul alums aren't asking for AD Jean Ponsetto to step down so they can get someone more forward-thinking and pro-active.

[Shadow]

Bad choice for both parties.

[Jesseandrippers]

Bad choice for both parties.

Wow Shadow, you have outdone yourself with this post. This deep analysis adds a ton of value to the discussion. I almost feel like I am in the decision-making chair.

[Shadow]

Bad choice for both parties.

Wow Shadow, you have outdone yourself with this post. This deep analysis adds a ton of value to the discussion. I almost feel like I am in the decision-making chair.

The city is broke and it is too far from the campus.
As a born & bred Chicagoan, I'm relatively terse and somewhat acerbic with my opinions and criticism.

[Mr. Neutral]

Emanuel may have to do some fancy footwork to get this done. As pointed out above, it's not like the City has tons o' money laying around, waiting to be spent, and I'm sure there's going to be pushback on this.

[pyro]

De Paul playing basketball at the Mc Cormick is a small part of a larger plan. Chicago mayors, business and union interests are always crying about the competition for convention space from Las Vegas, Dallas and beyond. As a result, they always want something bigger to attract bigger conventions. It means a lot of money and jobs for the city. The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (McPier) is a state created authority to run and fund projects at Navy Peir and the McCormick Place. It has heavy hitters from the governor and mayor running the show. The Hyatt at the McCormick is part of the Pritzker empire (that same Pritzker family that also recently gave us a new Secretary of Commerce). You have folks from McDonalds, ComEd, Bank of America, Baker & McKenzie, Ariel Investments, the Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, and the Chicago Federation of Labor on the McPier Board. De Paul is nothing but a fig leaf on the plan. Read Crain's take on it:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... 6/0/NEWS05

Notice that Mayor Emmanuel is interested in building up the "night life" in the area. That is to make the area more conducive to conventioneers who can stay at hotels around Mc Cormick place and not have to venture very far for nightlife. The reference to Reinsdorf is fear of competition for concert events. It's not De Paul they care about.

Check out the responses to the article from locals. It sounds like the Shadow knows what he's talking about (and Mr. N, of course). Even without De Paul in the mix, it is questionable whether $100 million in public funds should go into building up McCormick. But, when you have some of the most influential business, legal and labor folks all on the same page, with the mayor leading the pack, it's hard for lowly citizens to turn the tide. Taxpayers must hope the private funding fails or the hotels start fighting the taxes.

Rahm Emmanuel does not have the same prohibitions about casinos that Ritchie Daley did, so he might as well add the casino that Mc Cormick desires (keep it off of family-friendly Navy Pier) and create the base for night life that only Las Vegas can trump. Then, he won't need to pimp De Paul, and it might do what everybody on campus has been saying for years: bring basketball back closer to the Fullerton campus.

[Mr. Neutral]

Anyone who thinks the upcoming discussions on this project will be about DePaul basketball is sadly mistaken. It will be about the casino 1st, the hotels 2nd, and the DePaul facility 3rd. And the overriding factor will be how much these projects generate for the City.

[RoseyMuskie]

DePaul is hell-bent on taking any deal where they have to spend as little money as possible, which I get, but it's also a half-assed way to do things. I don't know why more DePaul alums aren't asking for AD Jean Ponsetto to step down so they can get someone more forward-thinking and pro-active.

THIS

Not an alum, but have DePaul and Chicago ties.

[bbaker06]

I COULD quit my job tomorrow, I COULD give all my money away, and I COULD go sleep in an underpass. Just because I CAN doesn't mean there's any realistic chance I will, or that it would be even remotely a good idea. Plus, you simply don't have the knowledge of what's going on here in town that guys like pyro and I do.

Hey, at least you have options with your life. I'm not saying they're good options, but at least you have options...

[Mr. Neutral]

More on this DePaul facility boondoggle---

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/20113457 ... lheadlines