Obamas in town as foundation tries to pack City Hall for hearing
Barack and Michelle Obama stopped by Chicago on Wednesday, a day before a critical Chicago Plan Commission hearing on the proposed Obama Presidential Center that Obama Foundation officials are hoping to pack with supporters.
The former president and first lady met separately with members of the first class of Obama Foundation fellows at the Stony Island Arts Bank — a block away from the future Obama Center site.
“This has been a really exciting time for the foundation in part because we are very close to the location where ultimately we’re going to be building the Presidential Center,” Obama told the 20 fellows, according to a press pool report. “I’m really excited about the fact that we’ll be presenting our plans to the planning commission tomorrow.”
Obama did not make any public efforts in support of the project on the eve of the presentation for zoning approval, though he held meetings at the foundation offices, including with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
“These are two old friends and they did what old friends do, shared a few laughs, swapped a few stories and caught up on their families,” Emanuel’s spokesman Adam Collins said. “Sure, they talked about the Foundation, the Obama Center, and incredible academic progress happening at CPS — but mostly it was two dads catching up.”
The foundation has been pushing hard in recent weeks with its efforts, including a postcard- writing campaign, to demonstrate public support for the project. They’ll cap it with an early morning rally complete with T- shirts and buttons outside City Hall before the 10 a. m. Plan Commission meeting, according to an email to foundation boosters obtained by the Chicago Sun- Times.
The foundation will “be packing the lobby and waiting areas of City Hall with our supporters before the meeting kicks off,” according to the email.
Almost no one in Chicago is against having the Obama Center located in the city where Obama started his political career, though a group filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the development in Jackson Park.
At issue are a variety of details as to how the project will be executed, whether there is a community benefits agreement, how much parkland has to be repaved, and whether Cornell Drive should be closed for the project.