What happens when Mayor Richard Daley wins one of those dual-city bets? Did he take home the smoked salmon and Starbucks coffee that Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels shipped when the Bears beat the Seahawks? What about the beignets and pralines New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin has to fork over after the Bears stomped his Saints?
We posed those questions a few days ago to the mayor’s press secretary, Jackie Heard, after we heard some of the bottles of beer sent by Nickels were damaged en route to Chicago. “If it’s a food product, quite honestly, some of it gets munched on in the office,” Heard told Armour & Co. “But for the most part, we pass it on to a local charity.”
While the city waits for the goodies from New Orleans, the wager with Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson for next week’s Super Bowl is still taking shape. He has offered dinner and some chocolates, among other things. Of course, Daley is wagering the usual haul of food that includes Chicago-style pizza, ribs and cheesecake. Heard says the mayor isn’t “grandstanding” by putting up such large booty.
“We just have such a giving business community,” Heard said. “People call in whenever they hear that the mayor is doing a bet. They always want to volunteer something. We wind up with a whole lot compared to what other cities offer.”
That’s the Chicago way.
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Terry Armour co-hosts “The Stan and Terry Show” Monday-Friday at 9 a.m. on WCKG-FM 105.9.