Sometimes it can be tough to choose your partners as a public organization

I have some pieces discussing, especially in the context of the Trump Organization, that governments and agencies need to be very careful in selecting "partners" for various projects, such as the conversion of the Old Post Office in DC to a hotel or the management of a public golf course, etc., in case the "winner" of the bid has a history of seeking tax abatements, challenging tax assessments, failing to pay contractors, paying taxes late, etc.

-- "Government contracting and being "careful" about your associations," 2017
-- "Been to Largo lately? Sports teams often aren't very good partners...," 2018

Today, this promotion from Choose Chicago, the city's convention and visitors bureau (CVB), landed in my e-box. The Trump Hotel is in a great location, but it's the last place I'd want to stay in Chicago.



But this is a problem for public groups like a CVB because they have to be open to membership by any organization involved in the field of hospitality, even though a promotion like this one is likely to be damaging to the Choose Chicago brand.