"Black aldermen blast Daley aide over O'Hare project"

Monday, October 22, 2007

Black aldermen blast Daley aide over O'Hare project 
By Fran Spielman
The Chicago (IL) Sun-Times


The gravy train of contracts tied to Mayor Daley's massive O'Hare Airport
runway expansion project has left the station -- and African Americans are
being left behind, aldermen complained Friday.

Black aldermen unloaded on Rosemarie Andolino, executive director of the
O'Hare Modernization Project, after learning that only 8 percent -- or $96
million of the $1.2 billion in contracts awarded so far -- has gone to
African Americans.

That's compared with 69 percent or $838.7 million for whites, $214 million
or 17 percent for Hispanics and $60.4 million or 5 percent for Asian
Americans.

Of the 20 construction contracts advertised so far, not one black firm bid
to become a general contractor.

For years, black aldermen have railed about the 9 percent share of overall
city spending going to African Americans. They were furious that the O'Hare
project was even worse -- even though city officials said they have done
everything they could to recruit minority companies.

'That's outrageous'

"I'm sitting here more angry than I've been in an incredibly long time. I've
been trying to be as silent as I could, [but] 8 percent in two years? That's
outrageous," said Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th).

"With all of the media outlets and publications that exist -- not only in
this city but nationwide -- to reach out to African-American contractors . .
. perfectly capable of placing a bid on a contract of this magnitude, are
you telling this body that not one applied?"

'I'm angry as well'

Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th) was even more incredulous when Andolino said
black participation in the biggest public works project in Chicago history
had actually increased by 2 percent over the past year.

"There are [trucks] coming from Indiana and everyplace else to work on these
sites every day. They're driving past communities with 60 percent
unemployment," Lyle said. "Next year, we'll be saying the same thing and, if
the numbers are the same, we're going to be yelling louder. . . . We cannot
continue to allow our communities to go down the tubes at the expense of
other communities [that] are empowering themselves through these jobs and
contracts."

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) threatened to shut down the O'Hare project as a
"last resort."

"I wouldn't want to go that far because it is an important project to the
region. But if something doesn't change, we have to do something drastic to
get those numbers up," he said.

Andolino appeared shaken by the tirade. After leaving the City Council
chambers, she needed to compose herself.

Andolino argued that she has bent over backward to reach out to
African-American companies -- through advertising, open houses and Internet
alerts to firms. "I'm angry as well when we do so much work in terms of
outreach -- and we started 10 months before we received our record of
decision -- and we still don't have the level of participation we would like
to see," she said.

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