A check-in with ECCI’s Quigley who ‘applauds mayor’s decision’
By Dee Longfellow
FOR THE ELMHURST INDEPENDENT
Late last week, the Independent was able to speak with John R. Quigley, president and CEO of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ECCI), to find out how the business community fared during the events of Tuesday, June 2, when the City faced a protest rally in the downtown area relating to the death of George Floyd- the African-American man who died while in custody of the Minneapolis Police De-partment.
“Elmhurst businesses responded precisely as I antici-pated during a brief time of uncertainty by enacting cautionary measures to ensure the safety of their employees and customers, and to protect their property and merchandise,” Quigley said. “Besides the burglary at NuCara Pharmacy in the early hours of June 2, I am unaware of any physical damage suffered by any of our (other) businesses.
“However, business closures resulted in lost revenue dur-ing an economic climate when most businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and workers gainfully employed. Also, businesses opting to board up their store-fronts also incurred what, thankfully, proved to be an unnecessary expense.”
The Independent asked if any of the businesses complained about the mayor‘s decision to close the downtown City Centre area. [As noted by City Manager Jim Grabowski, closing business-es was not mandatory but rather, highly recommended by the City.]
“I applaud Mayor Morley’s decision to close downtown Elmhurst and [to take] steps to appropriately police our community, while not in-fringing upon the First Amendment rights of the people to ‘peaceably’ assemble in protest,” Quigley said.
Asked about the extra police presence and blocking of streets with City vehicles, Quigley had this to say:
“Given the late-night violence that erupted in Aurora and Naperville during their downtown protests, many businesses feared whether or not local law enforcement had the needed resources to quell an uprising by anyone seeking to subvert the marchers’ just cause in order to riot and loot.
“While adhering to the mayor’s request to stay home, I kept in contact with onlookers at the scene who informed me that the organizers and protesters took it upon themselves to maintain peace and order while demonstrating their message in a public forum.”
About the Phase 3 reopening
Turning to the matter of COVID-19, the Independent asked Quigley how business-es, especially restaurants and bars, were doing now that the Governor’s “Phase 3” reopening plan had begun.
“Even with its many restrictions and limitations, the Restore Illinois Phase 3 re-opening has offered a much-needed revenue lifeline to our businesses, most of which have been shuttered since Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issued his initial ‘Stay at Home’ Executive Order back in March,” he said. “The revenue generated is but a fraction of what most busi-nesses would traditionally ring up, but it comes at a time when businesses who re-ceived federal Paycheck Protection Program in April have exhausted those monies.”
Quigley was asked how employees of downtown busi-nesses were feeling, being in a bit of a Catch-22 situation. Were they fearful of coming to work or grateful to have their income?
“Each business owner and every employee must weigh the health risk versus the economic reward within their business operation, as will their customers and clients, but I strongly trust that we can ramp our economy back up and do so in a resolute manner that provides for the public’s safety,” Quigley said. “My hope is that we will be able to move to the next phase before the end of June.”
