Cash-strapped cities, schools say: 'Your Ad Here'

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Seven vinyl banners draped along one of Chicago's most iconic bridges, advertisements some have dubbed ``a visual crime'' and ``commercial graffiti,'' are reviving a debate about how governments raise money in tough economic times. Photo Chad Bailey
Seven vinyl banners draped along one of Chicago's most iconic bridges, advertisements some have dubbed ``a visual crime'' and ``commercial graffiti,'' are reviving a debate about how governments raise money in tough economic times. Photo Chad Bailey

CHICAGO - In the aftermath of the Great Recession, a public school district in Colorado is selling ads on report cards and Utah has a new law allowing ads on school buses. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration, straining to fill a $600 million budget hole, is looking to raise $25 million from ads on city property _ including bridges, electrical storage boxes and garbage cans.

The effort kicked off with Bank of America ads on the 81-year-old Wabash Avenue Bridge, which crosses the Chicago River and has appeared in movies including ``About Last Night'' and ``The Dark Knight.''

Still, some ask where the line will be drawn. Could the city's historic Water Tower be next? Or Grant Park's famed Buckingham Fountain?

Bank of America spokeswoman Diane Wagner said the company said yes when Chicago officials asked if the bank wanted to advertise on the bridge because it's a major employer and philanthropic supporter in the city.

It's a similar story in Golden, Colo., where Jefferson County Public Schools' report cards now feature ads for the CollegeInvest college savings program. The ads raise $30,000 a year.

``Parents understand where we are at with the funding issues and most of the reaction has been positive,'' said school district spokeswoman Lorie Gillis.

Retiree Jim Phillips, who leads free tours of Chicago's bridges, challenged the city to channel public curiosity about the structures into money-making ventures, such as charging tourists to see the bridge houses' inner workings.

``If it gets to the point advertisements go on more of these historic structures, I don't think there's any way to stop them on others,'' Phillips said. ``What if you put a NASCAR suit on the Picasso? What if you slapped a Google sign on one of the lions at the Art Institute?''

By CARLA K. JOHNSON and ROBERT RAY

Associated Press

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Associated Press writers Peter Banda in Golden, Colo., and Colleen Barry in Milan, Italy, contributed to this report.

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