By Edward M. Bury, APR, MA (aka The PRDude)
Regular viewers of this site probably have ascertained that I frequently generate commentary about the City of Chicago. After all, Chicago is where I was born and still live and work.
And, from a different perspective, addressing the misrepresentation of the public relations profession also drives frequent posts from The PRDude.
So, what follows is somewhat of a combination of these two engaging subjects. Let me explain.
As this is being written, the 50 men and women who comprise the Chicago City Council are meeting to vote on a 2025 city budget. Yes, there’s just more than two weeks in the 2024 calendar year, and the so-called “City That Works” does not have a fiscal plan in place.
In preceding days, embattled Mayor Brandon Johnson initially proposed a $300 million property tax increase to help balance the new budget, but the dollar amount of that provision was reduced — twice — before the tax hike was entirely removed. There’s much more to this unfolding scenario about fiscal and governance incompetency related to the budget, enough to craft scores of commentaries, as well as embarrassing news that has surfaced in recent weeks regarding some members of the Mayor’s administration, including his former director of communications.
From the perspective of those who are not ethical and strategic public relations professionals, as 2024 comes to a conclusion Chicago has received a boatload, no make that a cargo ship, amount of “bad PR” resulting from the city’s inability to prepare a budget. This adds to other negative perceptions, such as persistently high crime, increasing unaffordability for those of modest means, police and government corruption, and a host of other issues.
All facetiousness aside, the unfavorable news related to Chicago due to its lack of a budget and other maladies has nothing to do with the practice of public relations. And, in the days prior to the budget debates at City Hall, I have not read or heard the inaccurate phrase “bad PR” published or uttered on a broadcast. (Maybe my “crusade” addressing the misrepresentation of the profession is working!)
From another perspective, concerted tactics and strategies to highlight what’s positive and good about Chicago can help build — make that rebuild — the city’s reputation as a world-class metropolis. I have commented on communication efforts regarding Chicago, as noted this post from 2022 that addressed a marketing campaign from a major advertising agency that was built around the tag line: “Not In Chicago.” Yes, let’s put the spotlight on the missing or negative!
It’s now 3:30 p.m., and a radio report from City Hall highlighted news of raucous interaction between elected officials and visitors, resulting in the Council chambers being cleared, meaning the budget debate continues.
Hey Mayor Johnson and aldermen and women: Pass the budget — today! Take that vital step to (can’t resist) nurturing some “good PR” for my City of Chicago.
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