Council votes to remove Trump Plaza designation

Chicago may well have earned Donald Trump’s unflattering “war zone” label after piling up 17 homicides last weekend and 633 already this year.

But don’t tell that to a City Council filled with Democrats.

On Tuesday, the Council followed through on its promise to strip the Republican presidential nominee of an ego tribute he covets: the honorary “Trump Plaza” designation outside the 96-story Trump International Hotel & Tower on the Chicago River that bears his name in huge, white letters.

There was no debate, in spite of the political points to be scored. That might have had at least a little something to do with the bloody weekend.

After the meeting, downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who spearheaded the move to take down the Trump Plaza sign, was asked how there can be any caricature of Chicago too distorted when the bloodshed on Chicago streets continues unabated.

He pointed to a new report that declared Chicago the No. 1 city in North America for investment and development.

“To suggest that Chicago is more like an Aleppo or a Baghdad is unfair. Yes, Chicago is struggling with some big issues right now like most major cities are. But, that doesn’t mean you paint this city with such a broad brush,” Reilly said.

“We are creating jobs here. We’re stealing headquarters relocating here every month. To suggest that we are only defined by one of the bigger struggles we’re having is unfair and irresponsible–especially for someone in the hospitality industry [who is] trying to scare people away from this great city.”

Still, Reilly was asked whether he had “lost the moral high ground” in his running argument with Trump because of the unrelenting gang violence on Chicago streets.

“I’m incredibly concerned about these police statistics. That is absolutely unacceptable. We do have an issue we’re dealing with related to violent crime. This City Council is poised to approve a budget that will add more police officers to the street and we certainly need more cops to help with these problems,” Reilly said.

“When he gets up there on the national stage and trashes Chicago basically telling folks not to visit this great city, he’s actually making it harder for us to solve our public safety problems by investing in more cops because we need more revenue. That’s why he’s losing his honorary street sign.”

During a Transportation Committee meeting last week, Chairman Anthony Beale (9th) threw Trump’s angry words back in his face.

“You’ve hit Chicago numerous times. . . . When you hit Chicago, Chicago hits back,” Beale said.

Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) has raise the possibility of punishing Trump more severely — by taking down the massive “TRUMP” sign that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Reilly (42nd) considered so garish and tasteless they moved to rein in future signs along the river.

Reilly told Burnett he would like nothing more than to resurrect that high-profile sign battle. But it would unfortunately be a futile effort.

“The signage entitlement for that big sign was negotiated before I was even elected. The city was stuck with what we’ve got. We understand Mr. Trump is a pretty litigious guy. And the Law Department was fairly certain that, if he sued, he would likely win. So we’re stuck with that sign,” Reilly said.

But Reilly has urged Trump Tower tenants to do what some of their counterparts at Trump-branded buildings across the country are doing: pressure Trump to remove the “ugly” sign.

“I’d love to see it. . . . I hear that’s a trend across America. I can’t blame those folks for wanting to do it. And I’d support that effort. It’s a brand that now stands for dividing our country and using dangerous and hurtful rhetoric to separate what makes this city and this country so great,” Reilly said.

“Having to look at that, as anyone who is on our river architecture tour or traveling on Michigan Avenue [must], is simply a reminder to the people of Chicago that this is someone who doesn’t respect our city and doesn’t recognize the incredible gains that we’re making.”

As for the honorary street designation, one of the Trump Plaza signs already has been stolen and not replaced. So only one more needs to be removed. That will be done post-haste, thanks to a so-called “pending passage” letter that Beale promised to sign.

In December 2010, Trump contributed $50,000 to Emanuel and $5,000 to Reilly.

That was two years after the opening of Trump Tower with the vanity sign touting the Trump brand.

Asked last week about the hypocrisy of accepting Trump’s money, only to bite the hand that feeds him, Reilly promised, once again, to send the money to back.

“I will be doing that on Nov. 9, the day after the election — so Mr. Trump can’t spend it,” Reilly has said.