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Among the damning info in them were clear indications that hotel occupancy actually declined in the peak summer vacation months of July and August in 2017, compared to the same two months of 2016.
Odd, wouldn't you say, for a city that claims to have welcomed a record 55.2 million visitors last year — a number that conveniently exceeded the 55 million visitor total Emanuel wanted to reach two years for now.
Way to go, Choose Chicago.
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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Does this number include Airbnb rentals? Might be a correlation between traditional hotel occupancy and non-traditional home rentals.