If He Wins...?

From Olympic dreams to entrepreneurs' schemes—how Chicago might benefit if a certain senator from Illinois becomes president

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Obama's Kenwood home—the future Summer White House?

Throughout his campaign, Obama has positioned himself as a champion of cities, vowing to launch a massive agenda aimed at pumping economic vitality, business, and jobs into urban centers. It's uncertain exactly how his plan would work—and whether he could enact it. If the plan gains traction, though, Obama backers suggest that Chicago could play a leading role. "Some projects do use test cities," says Abner J. Mikva, the former federal judge and congressman, who is on Obama's finance committee. "I'm sure we'll see something like that in his administration, and Chicago would be high on the list."

On the city's West and South sides, where Obama was a community organizer before entering politics, activists and residents can't wait to see some action. They anticipate Chicago will be at the front of the line for federal dollars designated to spruce up and rebuild viaducts, streets, and public housing units. "I'm looking for the Obama administration to immediately address the long-standing improvement needs of the community," says Alderman Pat Dowell, who represents the Third Ward.

There's scuttlebutt that Chicago would be among the first cities to get one of Obama's proposed "urban infrastructure banks," a government-sanctioned lender designed to help jump-start small businesses in blighted areas. "I find a plan like that compelling and encouraging," says Cheryle Jackson, president of the Chicago Urban League.

Outside the city, a President Obama would likely give a boost to Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, located in the western suburbs, which in recent years have endured federal funding pressures and cutbacks. "They're both very important to the region's scientific infrastructure," says Lester Crown, patriarch of the wealthy family that is among Obama's ardent backers, and chairman of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

(Nick Shapiro, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, said the candidate's policies would help every major city. Shapiro suggested that it was premature to discuss the impact that Obama's election would have on Chicago specifically.)

Major policy initiatives aside, an Obama presidency has the potential to hit close to home in other significant ways—bolstering the city's Olympic bid, for example. In June, Obama joined Mayor Richard Daley and other dignitaries at Daley Center Plaza, where he boldly told spectators that he would be "wrapping up [his] second term as president" when the 2016 games began. Obama also said he looked forward to seeing Olympic events being held in Washington Park. (An Olympics 2016 spokesman says that both presidential candidates want the games to return to the United States.)

Supporters of the Olympic bid think Obama's multicultural background and global rock star status would help charm the International Olympic Committee, a group drawn from countries around the world that will choose the location for the games. Chicago is up against Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo, and a decision is expected in October 2009. "We need international support to win," says King Harris, a member of the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee. "It's no secret that, internationally, Barack Obama will help give a favorable view of the U.S."

"If he's elected, the decision to pick Chicago would be enhanced," agrees Newton Minow, senior counsel at the law firm Sidley Austin and an early supporter of Obama.

An Obama policy initiative could also aid the cause. Backers suggest that an Obama administration would push Congress to invest millions more in federal dollars for urban transit, including funding for some everyday operations—money that would literally keep the trains and buses running. If it happened, Chicago could expect to be a major recipient, especially since Obama would likely draw on the expertise of Jarrett, a member of the city's Olympic bid committee and Chicago Transit Authority chairman from 1995 to 2003. "She'll help enable him to get the right answers," says John Rogers, a friend and adviser to Obama who is chairman of the investment house Ariel Capital Management.

As it stands, the CTA is dogged by old equipment and frequent breakdowns—problems that have no doubt damaged Chicago's effort to sell itself to the Olympic Committee: If the city can't reliably move its own citizens around, how will it transport thousands of harried Olympic visitors?

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Photograph: Peter Barreras/Newscom

This article appears in the October 2008 issue of Chicago Magazine.

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