Christy George, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s first assistant deputy governor for budget and economy, will serve as the Chicago Democratic National Convention host committee’s permanent executive director effective Sept. 25
Christy George, Pritzker’s first assistant deputy governor for budget and economy, will serve as the host committee’s permanent executive director effective Sept. 25, the committee announced Wednesday.
The host committee is tasked with raising $80 million to $100 million for the presidential convention, taking place Aug. 19-22. A spokesperson from the host committee described fundraising as “impressive” thus far, but would not disclose a number.
Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson plan to host a United Center luncheon fundraiser Sept. 28, and the host committee is planning more events and site visits with a goal of more aggressive fundraising and an increased presence in the city, the spokesperson said.
George was instrumental in helping the state seal a deal with Gotion, the Chinese company that announced this month it will build a $2 billion lithium battery factory in Manteno.
Pritzker’s office called George an integral part of the governor’s senior team and one he relies on to get things done, including handling big-ticket items like the state budget and economic development.
George joined the governor’s office in 2021 after serving as executive director of the Illinois Commerce Commission and previously in several key Chicago government roles, including deputy budget director for public safety.
Keiana Barrett, chief diversity and engagement officer for Sterling Bay, will serve as a senior adviser for the host committee.
Provided photo
The host committee on Wednesday also announced South Side native Keiana Barrett as a senior adviser. Barrett, the chief diversity and engagement officer for Sterling Bay, previously served as deputy director of the Heartland Alliance, national press secretary of Rainbow PUSH and communications director of the Congressional Black Caucus, among other roles.
Kaitlin Fahey, former chief of staff for Sen. Tammy Duckworth, was named the committee’s interim executive director in May and will transition to a general consultant role. Fahey’s consulting firm, Magnify Strategies, managed the first phase of pitching the convention in Chicago, including site visits, fundraising and pitch meetings.
The initial leaders of the host committee are Michael Sacks, board chairman and CEO of GCM Grosvenor; Jesse Ruiz, Pritzker’s former deputy governor; and 8th Ward Ald. Michelle Harris. The full host committee is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Public Safety Committee Chairman Brian Hopkins (2nd) plans to hold City Council hearings to find out how the transit agency will cope with bus service and other contingencies during the August convention.
The Israel-Hamas war is heightening fears of unrest, but convention leaders say they’re confident in their partnerships with Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling and the U.S. Secret Service.
‘The X is the event,’ Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Chicago Sun-Times about the location, which will be the central hub for about 60 agencies involved in designing and implementing convention security.
President Joe Biden hits Chicago Wednesday for a fundraiser after a stop in Racine, where his visit will spotlight one of Donald Trump’s economic flops, the failed Foxconn plant, which never employed the promised 13,000 workers.
Biden was last in Chicago on April 8 for a fundraiser. Chicago, which is hosting the Democratic National Convention in August, is a big source of campaign cash.
On Aug. 20,1972, this reporter was assigned to cover the hordes of hippies, yippies, women’s libbers, Marxists, gay rights advocates, Black Panthers, and anti-Vietnam war vets tenting, talking, and toking it up in Miami’s Flamingo Park before the Republican National Convention kicked off.
The civil liberties group filed a federal lawsuit Thursday on behalf of Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws, a left-leaning group whose marching permit was denied by the city.
“I remember coming out of my apartment one day and spotting Chicago cops dragging young protesters out of one section of Lincoln Park and shoving them into trucks, while nearby poet Allen Ginsberg was chanting in a circle of peaceful protesters not far away from the radical Abby Hoffman,” remembers Dan Webb, who later became a U.S. attorney.
Democrats are deeply focused on Wisconsin and Michigan to help bolster President Joe Biden’s re-election chances — and officials, in town for meetings hosted by the Democratic National Convention Committee, say they plan on showing voters a deep party contrast.
Votes on $70 million to help migrants and the bond issue to fund housing and economic development now are set for Friday. The Council was, however, poised to approve a slew of other measures.
In Chicago, the Democratic National Committee leaders will pick the members of the party’s platform, rules and credentials committees at the last party meeting before the August convention to renominate President Joe Biden.
Ald. Brendan Reilly said he’s concerned paying a settlement to Bryan Mejia, who suffered a fractured leg and torn ACL, will invite protesters expected for the Democratic National Convention to wreak havoc, then bombard the city with lawsuits.
Protesters, residents and other DNC observers would be prohibited from bringing laptops, large bags, scooters and other items into certain areas closest to convention attendees under a proposed ordinance.
Pro-Palestinian protesters greeted Biden outside the Drake Hotel on the Gold Coast, where the president had a campaign meeting before making remarks at the fundraiser.
A Chicago fundraiser for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is expected to collected $2.5 million for the Biden Action Fund, a joint fundraising committee consisting of the Biden for President operation and the Democratic National Committee.
This week, residents and businesses near the United Center and McCormick Place will receive briefings on how they will be impacted by convention security plans.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, having spent the last 11 months learning the ropes of city government as Rich Guidice’s top deputy, was the natural choice to replace Guidice.
The mayor made it clear he would not remove the City Council member for appearing at a rally where an American flag was burned to protest U.S. support for Israel.
The funds will help target a big problem for a city opening its doors to President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Convention in August. Just 17.94% of registered voters in suburban Cook County and 25.7% of registered voters in Chicago voted in the March 19 primary.
In between meetings with film and business leaders in California, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will fundraise for the Democratic National Convention Host Committee, including a reception in Los Angeles, and for abortion rights ballot initiatives in Arizona and Nevada.
The groups — both part of the Coalition to March on the DNC — filed for parade permits to march during the Aug-19 convention, but the city denied them, saying it would tie up traffic and require police officers it could not spare.
Whether the city’s low voter turnout on Tuesday is a sign of apathy or dissatisfaction, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and key Democrats are downplaying the significance for President Joe Biden. But one leading pollster calls it a warning bell for other key Democratic cities: ‘These cities need to be engines of turnout.’
The largest of the settlements — for $45 million — goes to Nathen Jones, who suffered a massive traumatic brain injury after an unauthorized police chase. The settlements were approved at a Council meeting that also saw Mayor Brandon Johnson introduce an ordinance authorizing drawing of boundaries for a security footprint around the Democratic National Convention.
“We want to make sure that we maintain peace,” Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said during a news conference Wednesday about this summer’s Democratic National Convention. “We’re going to police constitutionally.”
In the robberies, which occurred May 6-10, the suspects allegedly approached female passengers on CTA property, engaged in a physical altercation with the passengers and robbed them of their belongings, authorities said.
A man, 40, was on the sidewalk in the 3900 block of West Madison Avenue about 7:10 p.m. when a vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, hitting the man in both legs, police said.
A 15-year-old boy was on the sidewalk in the 100 block of North Dearborn Avenue about 4:40 p.m. Sunday when four men approached him, two of whom produced knives and stabbed him in the back, police said.
Kierra Coles has been reported missing for nearly six years. Diamond Bynum and King Walker were last seen July 25, 2015, at their home near Fifth Avenue and Matthews Street in Gary, Ind.
