The editors of the Chicago Tribune via Yahoo News warn that Boeing’s announced moving of the headquarters from Chicago to DC is a warning:
The hurt felt by Boeing’s departure is all about perceptions about Chicago. And, specifically, its beleaguered downtown.
The Loop hasn’t just gone through a rough patch lately — it’s been put through the wringer.
Even as downtown begins to gradually loose itself from the pandemic, COVID-19′s ravages have left an indelible mark on the Loop’s hectic, bustling vibe. Marquee restaurants have shut down. Workers are coming back, but offices have far from fully rebounded; the downtown vacancy rate is up to 19.7% as of the end of March. That’s worse than the 17.9% mark at the end of December. Retail vacancy along the Magnificent Mile is also worryingly on the rise. And recent outbreaks of violent crime have heightened a wariness about just how safe downtown streets and CTA train platforms are.
Lightfoot hasn’t formally announced her reelection bid, but all signs point to her pursuit of a second term. As she winds down her first term in office, she faces a bevy of top-shelf priorities: tackling the intractability of citywide violent crime; bringing to fruition her pledges to revitalize long-neglected neighborhoods on the South and West sides; implementing genuine, lasting police reforms; and ensuring that the just-announced Bally’s casino in the River West neighborhood gets done in a way that enhances the city rather than diminishes it.
One of those priorities must also be the future health and viability of Chicago’s downtown.
I think they’re being far too kind. Rather than continuing the work done by her predecessors as mayor to preserve Chicago, Mayor Lightfoot has consigned Chicago to the same fate as has befallen Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. It’s a lot easier to maintain a reputation than it is restore a reputation once lost. Rather than being “the City That Works” our reputation under Mayor Lightfoot is “the City Whose Downtown Was Looted”. I don’t think it can be remediated. Homicides and robberies expanding from the South Side to tone-y Northside neighborhoods won’t help.
Adding more police officers probably won’t help. We already have a larger police force relative to our population than New York or Los Angeles. The CPD is also a victim of bad reputation.
The move has very little to do with the merits or demerits of Chicago or even the state of Illinois and everything to do with what’s wrong with Boeing.
Boeing left Seattle for Chicago because it wanted tax breaks; having another large state advocate for it; and to balance itself more evenly between the civil aviation and defense portions of the company instead of focusing more on civil aviation.
This move is about where Boeing sees its future; as a defense contractor. The civil aviation part is really broken; there are deep competitive issues with the 737, 787 versus Airbus.
Additional sidenote:
Boeing as presently constituted is the result of the Boeing’s takeover of McDonnell Douglas. It had the bizarre result of being a nominal Boeing takeover while effectively McDonnell Douglas’s management / culture took over Boeing; even through McDonnell Douglas was a failing company.
McDonnell Douglas headquarters was St. Louis.
I’m well aware of that. My high school was walking distance from the McDonnell-Douglas HQ.
I never believed that Chicago actually had any merits as Boeing’s HQ. It was always about tax breaks.