- Six months after the NATO summit, City Hall has hit the total button on the cost of hosting and protecting world leaders at a gathering that was historic for Chicago but a stretch for local resources.
The final bill for the city of Chicago was $27.5 million, according to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office, with more than $20 million of it covered by the federal government.
The remainder has been covered by some of the nearly $33 million in private donations raised by the Chicago NATO organizing committee.
The private donations also covered the committee's tab for hotels for NATO guests, receptions and dinners for dignitaries, a media facility and insurance for the event. More than $10 million of the private donations was left over for the mayor to spend.
Sarah Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said $4 million of that surplus remains at his disposal after recent announcements on using leftover money for park improvements.
Thousands of coppers short, millions short in pension obligations, and Rahm is spending it all on parks without any oversight whatsoever.
That makes sense.