On July 28, Gerry Skoning was quoted in an NW Times article about the controversial big-box ordinance passed by Chicago aldermen last week. The ruling coasted to a veto-proof 35-14 vote last Wednesday, and could face a legal challenge from opponents, who claim the bill is unconstitutional. The legal fight will be the final hurdle before the ordinance goes into effect in 90 days. "I think there is no doubt that there will be a legal challenge," said Gerald D. Skoning, a senior partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, a national firm of 700 lawyers based in Chicago. "(The case) is extremely strong. (The ordinance) is as vulnerable to legal challenge as any ordinance or law that I've seen in a number of years." Skoning, who also is a board member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, may lead the legal charge should his organization decide to sue. In addition to Skoning's group, other opponents who might take the big-box battle to court include the Illinois Retail Merchant Association, subcontractors whose projects could be canceled and the big-box retailers themselves. Skoning added that black community leaders, who lobbied "extensively and persuasively" against the ordinance, could form a coalition and confront the ordinance on legal grounds.
