Couldn't our aldermen have managed at least one dissenting vote during Wednesday's vote on the Olympics?
Apparently not.
In a unanimous vote, the City Council authorized Mayor Daley to sign a host city contract that puts Chicago taxpayers on the financial hook for Olympic cost overruns.
The vote keeps Chicago in the running for the 2016 games with just three weeks to go before the International Olympic Committee chooses the host city.
The vote also tells the IOC that all of Chicago is behind the bid -- even if it's not true.
An entirely different City Council came to life this summer, pushing hard against the bid after Daley unilaterally agreed to sign the host city contract.
As a result, the Chicago 2016 bid committee added additional insurance to protect taxpayers, listened to residents in every ward of the city and agreed to fairly sweeping -- though incomplete -- oversight by the council.
The bid committee deserves credit for responding. The City Council deserves credit for finding a backbone.
But none of that sweeps aside the very legitimate fears about what the Olympics might
cost taxpayers.
And none of that warrants a unanimous vote.
This blog brought to you by the Sun-Times editorial board (click on names to read bios):
