The state of South Dakota has resolved a dispute with Chicago officials about business-recruiting advertisements at O'Hare International Airport, but the state also has expressed its displeasure with the Windy City in a full-page ad in Sunday's edition of the Chicago Tribune.
The dispute that began in August is itself an example of the differing business climates, Gov. Dennis Daugaard said Monday.
"We make doing business easy in South Dakota. From our experience, Chicago does not," he said.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office did not immediately respond Monday to an Associated Press request for comment.
South Dakota's ad campaign in Chicago and Minneapolis is aimed at luring companies by touting the state's business climate. The initial messages on the O'Hare banners included the phrases "No Government Pat Downs," ''Keep Your Change in Your Pockets" and "We're Hands Off When it Comes to Business."
Chicago airport officials had asked for the messages to be changed, saying they appeared to conflict with Transportation Security Administration regulations, South Dakota Economic Development Commissioner Pat Costello said.
The banners were revised, but Chicago officials decided against allowing other states' tourism or economic development agencies to advertise in the airport, Costello said. That decision was eventually reversed, but South Dakota once again was told to change the messages, he said.
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Three new banners were approved — "Our Economy is First Class," ''Prepare Your Business For Take Off" and "Build Your Business in South Dakota" — and are scheduled to be posted at O'Hare next month.
Meanwhile, the state of South Dakota placed an ad in the Chicago Tribune, which begins with "This is the ad Rahm Emanuel doesn't want you to see." It goes on to tout what the Governor's Office of Economic Development says is the ease of doing business in South Dakota, and says "We can't say the same for Chicago."
A spokeswoman for South Dakota's economic development office did not immediately know how much the newspaper ad cost.
"While it's not our original message, we think the new banners, coupled with the Tribune ad, will make an even stronger statement," Daugaard said.
