SELLING OUT

SELLING OUT I am thoroughly confused. If as Fran Spielman wrote in the Sun Times on Wednesday, “As of Dec. 31, the city had just $180 million left from the $1.15 billion parking meter windfall that was supposed to last for 75 years,” that would mean that the city spent almost a billion extra dollars that did not come from taxpayers. If my assessment is correct, it means that next year, besides the already 700 million we are short, we will need another billion. Where will that money come from except from taxpayers? Maybe there is another plan-“The Celebrity Chef Art Smith Selling Out plan.” I first read about this scheme to raise money in Shia Kapos’ column, “Taking Names,” in Crain’s. Art Smith, originally of Oprah fame and now famous on his own merits, is getting married in August in Washington, D.C. where gay marriage is legal. GBK Productions asked Smith if they could compile the gift bags for the guests. Smith agreed. GBK started sending out proposals to PR firms to see which of their clients wanted to have a product in the bag. Of course, besides product, the client would have to pay anywhere from $2,500 to $20,000. While 20% of the money collected will go to The Common Threads Foundation, the rest will go in Smith’s pocket. Because so many celebrities will be attending the wedding, it’s a cool event for companies to participate in. Nike is providing running shoes for each of the guests; not a product one normally associates with a wedding bag gift. But I guess if one is dancing all night, it will be nice to change into something more comfortable for aching feet. Why can’t the City of Chicago take a page from Art Smith? We have hundreds of celebrities that come to Chicago every year. Whether it is for a movie shoot or to emcee a charity event, they are here. The Mayor’s Office of Special Events could prepare gift bags that would be given to every celeb. Companies would pay to have their product placed in the bag. The City would provide a picture of the celeb and the bag (autographed) to the sponsoring company as proof that it was given out. The Mayor should love the plan because it would be providing swag to the visiting stars. Why is that? Because swag mean “stolen without a gun” and we know how much he hates guns. For a final thought; Sharon Rae Bender has her own solution to the city’s financial woes. We hold a giant bake sale in Daley Plaza. How sweet is that? One chocolate cake please.