Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago board president's suicide tied to City Hall/Olympics corruption

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago board president's suicide tied to City Hall/Olympics corruption

Chicago board president's suicide tied to City Hall/Olympics corruption

by Mike Klonsky

In the run-up to the Olympic Games, the mayor and school board presidentMichael Scott forced CPS principals, teachers, and students to turn out for rallies to support the mayor's failed campaign to make Chicago the Olympic City. Now we know why.

While serving as school board president, Scott negotiated key components of the $1.2 billion Olympic Village plan and had a long business relationship with developer Gerald Fogelson, who was vying to build the village. Scott served as a $10,000/month consultant on a condominium project near the proposed athletes village, a development that would increase in value if the city wins the Olympics. The city owns more than 750 properties in the immediate vicinity of two proposed Olympic venues, Douglas Park on the West Side and Washington Park on the South Side.

Scott lost a ton of money when his consulting fees from Fogelson were cut off after the bid failed. This combined