To the editors:
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Upon occasion I do take exception to one of your in-depth cover stories written either about a current topic or a chosen individual. That is the American way, that I can disagree. Such was the case in the short article in Section Two of the April 19, 1991, issue under the Culture Club title “Life in the Laney Lane” written by Lewis Lazare. His column rattled my cage and I saw red.
As a former employee of the City of Chicago I was aware often of department heads who felt they were autonomous, the “last word” on any subject, and it appears Ms. Osterman falls into that category. When the North Shore Magazine did a feature story covering Ms. Laney when she was appointed to her present position with the City, it was made very clear that her duties and expertise would be to bring tourism into the City of Chicago and that her office would be separate and apart from Ms. Osterman’s department of Special Events. Chicago at best sometimes suffers from a poor self-image, and with several Mayors at the head of the City over the past dozen years or so, not much happened to improve this image in spite of much talk. Mayor Daley addressed this problem in announcing his appointment of Ms. Laney. One need only to come into the O’Hare Airport to feel her already exciting effect on this issue in the presence of the Chicago’s Got It! banners. The North Shore cover story outlined Mary Laney’s intense love of this city. Mayor Daley put Ms. Laney into this position for this very reason, to attract tourist dollars into our beautiful, exciting, culturally rich city, not Ms. Osterman.
