Cook County Board approves Arizona boycott, then awards Arizona company red light contract

[Freddie Stubbs]

Cook County commissioners today approved a watered-down resolution boycotting Arizona businesses over an immigration law and then promptly signed off on a red light camera contract involving an Arizona company.

The seemingly contradictory votes cast doubt on how real the county's Arizona boycott is in practice.

First up at today's county board meeting was the Arizona boycott, drafted in response to that state's immigration crackdown that's garnered national attention.

As introduced last month, the boycott would have prohibited new contracts with Arizona-based companies. But the version approved today by a 10-6 vote directs the county to refrain from signing contracts with Arizona-based companies "to the extent practicable, and in instances where there is no significant additional cost to the County nor conflict with law," until Arizona's immigration bill is repealed.

more: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2010/06/cook-county-board-approves-arizona-boycott-then-awards-arizona-company-red-light-contract.html

[aquart]

1. Ah, Chicago.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. The weasel wording was no different than LA

and the pols wonder why its hard to take them seriously sometimes

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. Would taxpayers want to pay for a real honest-to-goodness boycott?

These boycotts say that they won't buy good and services from Arizona businesses, unless doing so would cost the city extra money. But aren't they already buying from the lowest bidder already?