President Obama has put out the word to cities around the nation: I’m accepting bids from communities and universities to see who wants to host my presidential library.
Interested cities can now sign up and signal their desire to become home for the library, which is projected to become a tourist draw for years, The Hill reported. Mr. Obama himself, along with his advisers, will sift through the bids and narrow down the top contenders.
“Our goal is to build a library of which the whole country, and hopefully the whole world, can be proud,” said Marty Nesbitt, the co-chair of the foundation in charge of fielding the bids, and a personal friend of the president, in The Hill. “Our vision is to create a space that reflects President Obama’s values and priorities throughout his career in public service and serves as [a] force for good in the surrounding community and throughout our world.”
The University of Chicago is believed to be a leading candidate. That’s where Mr. Obama taught and the city where Mrs. Obama served as a hospital administrator.
“We are going to run a process,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s former chief of staff, in the Chicago Sun-Times. “But my goal is to have the city of Chicago, with its major educational institutions, have a single proposal.”
Bids are due by June 16, and site selection is expected to be made within a year.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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