Wal-Mart Using Fake Community Group to Manufacture Support (Chicago)

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http://chicagoist.com/2010/01/26/wal-mart_using_fake_community_group.php


The controversy over Wal-Mart’s attempts to break into the Chicago retail market has flared up again recently. Opponents argue that Wal-Mart drives down wages, destroys local businesses and leads to no net increase in jobs or tax revenue for the city. Wal-Mart and its allies contend that neighborhood residents deserve to have a say in what happens in their neighborhood, and people that don’t live there should stay out of the matter. The lack of good options available to people that live on the South and West sides of Chicago has been well-documented, and it’s very plausible that there is a substantial and passionate movement in those neighborhoods to bring Wal-Mart to their communities as a solution. Wal-Mart would have us believe that such a sentiment exists, but it turns out that support for their expansion into the city is being manufactured by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, a local public relations powerhouse, and by Wal-Mart itself.

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That name might sound familiar to you: they’re the Chicago-based consulting firm that Wal-Mart has retained to manage its public relations campaign in Chicago. That includes push polling done last summer in Chicago. A day after I emailed the ourcommunityourchoice.com address, I got a phone call from Haydee Caldero, a consultant with The Freeman Institute. She told me that she represented the firm hired to manage the website and community contact related to Wal-Mart’s expansion into Chicago, and directed me to Michael Mini, the Government Relations Director at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, whom I promptly emailed, requesting an interview. He didn't immediately respond.

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Mike Mini told me that Wal-Mart is indeed a member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, that they have “a representative on the Government Affairs Committee,” and that “our process is kind of open. Any member that expresses an interest can come to meetings and work on issues that are important to them.” Is the Chamber working on behalf of Wal-Mart in the city? “We’re working on behalf of policies that we feel further business and commerce in the city.” Because I got to Mr. Mini through Our Community, Our Choice, I asked what his involvement in the site was. “It’s part of our advocacy effort to gain support,” and that “we set that up as a way to communicate with people. We were expecting this to come up for a vote before the council sooner, but obviously it’s been stalled.” I asked him if he was familiar with Serafin and Associates. “Yes, we have worked with them in our strategy sessions. We’ve worked with Serafin and his team.” When I told him that our site had gotten comments from the email address that led me to him and asked if he knew that it was being used to comment on blogs, he said “no, not that I’m aware of.” Are you surprised that an IP address from Serafin was being used that way? “No, not in particular.” Why not? “I really can’t comment without looking into it further.”
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see how they do it....

[endless october]

1. unionize Walmart.

[mopinko]

2. walmart came after my alderman.

david herro, swiftboater and hedge fund manager with huge walmart funding, underwrote half of the campaign of an insane challenger in the last aldermanic race.
joe moore's crime? why, he said we don't need no stinkin' walmarts. and there would be no walmart in his ward as long as he had anything to say about it.
he was also the author of the living wage ordinance, which went after the big box stores. it passed but was vetoed by da mare.