Office of the City Clerk - Record #: R2016-546

• Record #: R2016-546
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Failed to Pass
• Intro date: 7/20/2016
• Current Controlling Legislative Body: Committee on Human Relations
• Title: Call for Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority to discontinue name designation of "McCormick Square" for area bounded by E 21st St, Stevenson Expressway, Chicago Transit Authority green line and Lake Michigan
• Sponsors: Brookins, Jr., Howard, Villegas, Gilbert, Ramirez-Rosa, Carlos
• Topic: CITY COUNCIL - Miscellaneous
• Related files: R2019-362

Date	Journal Page Number	Action By	Action	Result
5/29/2019		City Council	Failed to Pass
9/28/2016		Committee on Human Relations	Held in Committee	Pass
9/13/2016		City Council	Add Co-Sponsor(s)
7/20/2016	29594	City Council	Referred

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority ("MPEA") recently designated the area of the City bound by 21^st Street to the north, the Stevenson Expressway to the south, the CTA Green Line to the west, and the lake to the east as "McCormick Square;" and

WHEREAS, the MPEA released promotional materials claiming the aforementioned area as "Chicago's Newest Neighborhood;" and

WHEREAS, the MPEA expects to spend $250,000 of taxpayer money on marketing "McCormick Square" as Chicago's newest neighborhood; and

WHEREAS, the name for McCormick Place was established 56 years ago at a time when societal values allowed Robert R. McCormick's regressive views on race, his bias against Asians, and his staunch anti-Mexican immigrant positions to be overlooked; and

WHEREAS, the MPEA chose to reinforce the name "McCormick" on the aforementioned area of the city in 2016, a year marked by the divisive presidential campaign of Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant, racially, and religiously intolerant views; and

WHEREAS, Section 1-14-010 of the Chicago Municipal Code states that the naming or re-naming of a community area or neighborhood shall only be done through passage of an ordinance; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved, That we, the Mayor, and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this 20^th day of July, 2016, hereby express that we do not support the name "McCormick Square" for the area of the City bound by 21^st Street to the north, the Stevenson Expressway to the south, the CTA Green Line to the west, and the lake to the east; and

Be It Further Resolved, That the City Council calls on MPEA to stop use of the designation "McCormick Square" and that MPEA bring a formal request to the City Council for approval and passage of an ordinance permitting use of public dollars to rename the area.