Officials stop extra funds to Des Plaines rebranding campaign
Des Plaines is putting a stop to spending additional money on a rebranding campaign, though aldermen Monday stopped short of putting a referendum question on the ballot asking voters about a new city logo and tagline.
The decisions come as Mayor Matt Bogusz announced Monday the formation of ad hoc committee of residents to examine the city's branding and marketing efforts.
The new logo — an interlocking “d” and “P” — and “Good Move” slogan were unveiled in June, but in recent weeks, the rebranding efforts have come under increasing backlash from residents and some aldermen.
At city council meetings in November and December, resident Zachary Stellberg and other residents voiced their objections to the rebranding, prompting two recent face-to-face meetings with the mayor.
Out of those meetings came agreement that Stellberg would lead a volunteer committee to review information developed by NorthStar Destination Strategies, a Nashville-based consultant paid $88,000 by the city to develop the rebranding. The committee is also expected to do new research of its own, and bring recommendations about city branding to the council, with the first report expected in February.
While applauding those efforts, some of the mayor's most vocal council critics said it's also too little too late. They say they should have been presented options for a new logo and tagline and been involved in the selection. Instead, the logo and tagline were chosen by the mayor, city manager, city director of media services, and a representative of the Des Plaines Public Library.
The council voted 6-2 in June to approve it, with Aldermen Dick Sayad and Jim Brookman opposed.
“It was a bad move on your part, Mr. Mayor,” Sayad said Monday. “You should've stopped it a long time ago.”
The council voted 5-3 Monday to direct city staff not to enter into any new agreements with vendors for the use of the new logo and tagline, and not install new gateway signs with the logo and tagline. The resolution says that halting the rebranding efforts should not materially disrupt city operations.
Estimates are the city has spent about $100,000 on rebranding so far.
Already, City Manager Mike Bartholomew said references to “Good Move” were removed from the 2016 city calendar, though he said there will undeniably be gray areas of what is branding and what isn't.
He said new street banners wouldn't be ordered, but the ones with “Good Move” already installed won't be taken down. And new city business cards with the slogan and logo have already been printed.
A resolution to put a question on the March 2016 primary ballot asking voters to weigh in on the rebranding campaign failed on a 5-4 council vote, with Bogusz casting the tiebreaking vote.
Alderman Jack Robinson initially proposed the idea of a referendum, but said Monday he wants the ad hoc committee to do its work first.