Some of Chicago’s biggest trade show organizers emerged from a meeting with Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday afternoon expecting he’ll sign the McCormick Place overhaul legislation. But they say he may try for some modifications, perhaps in an add-on bill.
The bill, which passed both houses of the General Assembly by wide margins, “is not anything that I think we’ll see vetoed by the governor,” said Steve Drew, assistant executive director for the Radiological Society of North America, which holds its annual convention at McCormick Place.
Quinn continues to have concerns about labor issues, including the potential for unions to legally challenge the state’s right to impose work rules on workers whose collective bargaining agreements are protected under federal law, one meeting participant said.
The legislation designates Jim Reilly, a former chief executive of the agency that runs McCormick Place, as a trustee to oversee an 18-month restructuring. But there is no succession plan in the event Reilly cannot serve out that term, and that concerns Quinn, meeting participants said.
Reilly, who also chairs the Regional Transportation Authority, has been the legislature’s chief adviser on the bill.
The governor is expected to act before the legislature’s session ends next week, some participants said.
“He conveyed a sense of urgency,” said Mia Rampersad, vice president/trade show for the International Housewares Association, whose annual show is a longtime staple at McCormick Place.
Mayor Richard Daley on Wednesday said he, too, would like to meet with Quinn to discuss the governor’s reservations about the legislation.
Quinn was not available for questions after Thursday’s meeting with trade show organizers, but his office issued a statement that said, in part, “While this is a complex bill, Gov. Quinn is committed to making sure reform is handled correctly and understands that action must be taken quickly during these difficult economic times.”
The governor also met Thursday with officials from the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, who urged him to sign the bill.
Tim Roby, chief executive of the bureau, left the meeting saying he was encouraged. Quinn “clearly understands it’s about jobs and the importance of the convention industry and tourism,” Roby said.
Roby said the city can retain most of the trade shows now on the fence, pick up as many as 11 more and win some corporate meeting business if the bill is signed. The business could generate close to $1 billion in spending locally, he said.
Quinn later met with representatives of the Illinois restaurant and hotel associations. The governor’s office said he also “has met with labor leaders regarding this legislation and looks forward to continuing his review.”
