Chicago Tourism CEO Fights For Funds Amid Illinois Budget Impasse

As many as 7,000 people working in Chicago's tourism industry could lose their jobs by the end of Q2 2016 if Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner doesn't free up funding earmarked for Choose Chicago's tourism promotion efforts. Republican Governor Rauner, who entered office in January, and the state's Democrat-led General Assembly were unable to agree on a 2015/16 fiscal state budget earlier this year, which froze funding for all of Illinois' 40-plus tourism bureaus beginning July 1. State funding makes up about 40% of Choose Chicago's annual operating budget. Right now, over $6 million is sitting in an account that is statutorily mandated for tourism promotion. Because the Governor's Office has suspended that account indefinitely, Choose Chicago was forced to eliminate 28 staff positions last week and close its sales offices in Canada and Mexico effective December 30. In July, the bureau shut down its Epic Chicago summer advertising campaign two months earlier than scheduled, to save around $250,000 in media buys, and the development of its upcoming winter campaign is in jeopardy. Choose Chicago also cancelled all inbound and outbound foreign sales and PR trips. According to Don Welsh, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, he says the budget impasse could cost between 5,000-7,000 jobs in the city's tourism sector by Q2 2016 if the impasse is still unresolved in December. "In the state of Illinois, there's a statute mandating that the money that goes to fund Choose Chicago, which is money that is collect