Mayor Rahm Emanuel has quietly introduced an ordinace to extend the construction set-aside program for an additional five years until Dec. 2020, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The program, which was overhauled on orders from a federal judge about 10 years ago, provides protected access to minority and disadvantaged groups including blacks, hispanics, and women.
The ordinance justifies extending the contract set-asides based on studies and consultations with Dartmouth College economics professor Dr. David Blanchflower; the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago; attorney Don O’Bannon; and the law firm of Pugh Jones & Johnson, The Sun-Times reported.
