Subject: San Francisco should not buy Sequoia

CALIFORNIA: I would like to make this statement before San Francisco County meets to discuss the purchase of Sequoia Voting Systems equipment. This meeting is to be held December 5th 2007.

My Name is Gerard Gonzalez, Visalia CA.

I worked as a WinEDS support, training and prelate expert working in many states.

My opinion is that San Francisco CA and every other State and County should not purchase WinEDS Election Management software because of non disclosure of a critical piece of software used by the Vendor and misleading statements in contracts when describing the functionality of WinEDS Election Management software.

The reason is all instruction manuals seem to describe the election creation process as a simple and quick process using only the WinEDS Election Management software.

The contracts do not mention Sequoia’s need to use a (tool) which imports the basic ballot data (text, contests, and candidates). But also at the same time processes all other calculations necessary to create a DRE image of a paper ballot. This software used by Sequoia (the tool) does not work and has never been certified or disclosed to the public. Major changes where made to the code of this software (the tool) after the completion of the databases for the Primary 2006 elections. These changes affected every database in every state for the General 2006 elections. What this means is Sequoia completed work for counties and delivered data with major errors. Sequoia then had to make changes to correct theses errors and reinstall data over and over again before beginning the 2006 General Elections. We also replaced final sets of data without the customer knowing of our actions. The prior sets of data had major errors.

The situation I’m describing, could have been a disaster in many states.

My experience is with the state of NV. All Counties in NV had to reinstall data and prelate (setup) their machines as many as three times before the data was correct in order to begin the General 2006 Elections in that State.

I would like to speak more in detail as to what type of errors would have occurred because of this uncertified piece of software used by Sequoia. Sequoia also sells this product (the tool) to counties that produce their ballots in house.

I feel since this (tool) is sold openly to Counties, that we would have the right to review the source code and it no longer would be considered a secret proprietary piece of property.


-Gerard Gonzalez
Visalia CA

I presume that the purpose of your posting this statement is to strongly imply that there are those in this city, county and state, let alone other cities, counties and states, let alone this nation, who are willing to falsify the results of any given election's vote total, for purposes both nefarious and dishonest.

The need for such fraudulent activities would necessarily stem from their perception and belief that there are more than enough citizen/voters willing to make the meager efforts to register to vote and to both vote out incumbent Democrats and Republicans on a regular basis and deny election to those challenger candidates who are Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats and Republicans referring to members, and those backed by members, of the 'regular' Democratic and Republican political machines.

Why not just say so?

Chicago elections are fraudulent. Period. How else can you explain Shiller, Stone and Moore getting reelected.

Perhaps when the Reader, Trib, and Sun-Times start connecting the dots about campaign contributions and the connection to "pay to play" in the perspective wards, we will see some changes.

The Trib, which endorsed George Bush, also endorsed the polar opposite for alderman, Helen Shiller. What's not mentioned is the Trib, which currently owns the Cubs, gets virtually free parking from Helen Shiller (they just have to agree to pave the acre lot located behind Grace Cemetery). Yep, it's "pay to play", even with the press.

Maybe next year

One of the freshman aldermen will introduce a proposed ordinance with actual substance, that is not a pay-to-play zoning change, street fair, fee waiver, garbage rebate, billboard, or awning.

One of the City Council's patronage army of "legislative aides" will actually aide legislation that is not a zoning change, street fair, fee waiver, garbage rebate, billboard, or awning.

Election frauds come in many different flavors.

Here are a few, in no particular order of occurrence, to taste and savor:


Registered Voters:

1 - Fictitious person's 'name' still on voter registration list

2 - Deceased person's name still on voter registration list

3 - Adjudicated Mentally Incompetent person's name still on voter registration list

4 - Non-Resident (of the electoral area) person's name still on voter registration list

5 - Non-Citizen person' name still on voter registration list

6 - Under-Age person's name still on voter registration list

7 - Legally-Ineligible person's name still on voter registration list (ie., convicted felon)

All of the above being used to support Nominating Petitions and vote in Party Primary and General Elections.


Primary Elections:

1 - Shill candidates, to dilute/split the votes of those opposed to reelecting incumbents and/or electing party-slated candidates

2 - Absentee votes cast by 'friendly' party representatives, with or without the knowledge, or approval, of the voter utilizing the absentee ballot

3 - Bribes, however magnanimous or meager, for that 'vote only for slated candidates' loyalty

4 - Intimidations, based on whatever vulnerabilities available, to garner that 'only for slated candidates' vote

5 - Valid Voter's names 'mysteriously' absent from voter listings at the designated polling place, resulting in the delay or denial of said voter's right to vote

6 - The inevitable 'misplacing or disappearance' of ballots from certain 'uncertain' polling places, often never to be seen or spoken of, after the party's candidates manage to squeak out a 'victory'

7 - Various 'irregularities' at a few, selected polling places


General Elections:

See Above.


Worth remembering:

"Let's take a peek into the Political Hack's Playbook.

1) If telling the truth HELPS you, tell the truth. (however rarely this is true for an incumbent)

2) If telling the truth HURTS you, tell a lie, particularly a lie that is impossible to prove is a lie.

3) When lying, coat your lies with as much truth as possible, so the lie APPEARS to be true.

4) When confronted with your lies, vigorously assert that you're NOT lying and accuse those who say you are, OF LYING.

5) avoid lying about things that can be PROVEN to be lies, tho, you can ALWAYS challenge the honesty of those who present the proof of your lies.

6) Do your very best to keep some sort of track of your lies, so you don't waste energy lying when you are confronted with conflicting lies.

7) Whenever possible, always have OTHERS lie for you, so you can denounce them, if and when they are caught lying.

8) When caught in a lie, change the subject and focus on telling those lies that have, so far, not been proven to be lies.

9) Tell the truth sparingly, as, if the truth were helpful to you, you wouldn't have to tell so many lies in the first place.

There's a lot more stuff in the Political Hack's Playbook, but I think this is enough for now, don't you?"


And we haven't even begun to explore the various flavors of political bullshit routinely used to manipulate the opinions of the general public, resulting in the party's goal, of discouraging as many citizens as possible to NOT bother voting and to NOT even bother registering to vote, being so successful......

"Not Hugh"'s obsession is getting increasingly away from the realm of sanity.The above diatribe shows how no lie or distortion is too big in his struggle for ANARCHY! for example:THE CHICAGO BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTENENCE OF VOTER ROLLS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO,NOT POLITICAL PARTIES OR INDIVIDUAL POLITICAL WORKERS! The board in decades past had in precinct REGISTRATION DAY,30 days before all elections, followed by a DOOR to DOOR CANVASS BY ELECTION JUDGES AS TO WHO WAS LIVING IN EACH LIVING UNIT IN A PARTICULAR PRECINCT.The Board replaced that with "DEPUTY REGISTRARS" and mailing LAST CLASS POST CARDS to registered voters and only removing those whose POSTCARDS WERE RETURNED "UNDELIVERABLE" This one point is indicitive of the rest of "NOT HUGH"'s above post and in fact all of this CRETIN'S serial posts!

INSTEAD OF LYING AND DISTORTING ON BLOGS? HUGH IS A LEECH WHO LEECHES ON TO OTHERS' BLOGS TO SPREAD LIES AND DISTORTIONS AGAINST OUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS, BUT DOESN'T HAVE THE _TO HAVE HIS OWN BLOG? WHY IS THIS ? HUGH IS GETTING CARRIED AWAY WITH HIS OWN LIES,AND MOST LIKELY THE POSTER LABELED "NOT HUGH" IS ,IN FACT,HUGH!

Personally I'm sick of Hugh's incessent carping posts.with Rogers Park and the 49thWard being the home of the most blogs,this guy is like dog ----,everywhere.i agree with the poster who asks when Hugh is going to run for office;then he would have to actually come up with solutions instead of only COMPLAINTS!

Maybe next year

Stroger will cut the County headcount to 22,000

Stroger Goggles

October 18, 2007

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-101...

Quit avoiding the QUESTION-When are you going to offer yourself for office?That poster is right.

So, the ALL CAPS poster does know how to activate and deactivate the caps lock.

So, the ALL CAPS poster isn't really committed to being the ALL CAPS poster all the time.

So, the ALL CAPS poster is only committed to defending the indefensible.

So what?


Well, let's slice and dice the ALL CAPS and sometimes not ALL CAPS poster's 3 consecutive comments.


"THE CHICAGO BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTENENCE OF VOTER ROLLS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO....."

Who appoints the individuals employed at the Board of Election?

Who hires the workers who are employed at the Board of Elections?

Who oversees the activities conducted by those appointed and/or employed by the Board of Elections?


If we are to believe the ALL CAPS poster, it's "...NOT POLITICAL PARTIES OR INDIVIDUAL POLITICAL WORKERS!".

Do we believe the ALL CAPS poster?


"The board in decades past had in precinct REGISTRATION DAY,30 days before all elections, followed by a DOOR to DOOR CANVASS BY ELECTION JUDGES AS TO WHO WAS LIVING IN EACH LIVING UNIT IN A PARTICULAR PRECINCT.
The Board replaced that with 'DEPUTY REGISTRARS' and mailing LAST CLASS POST CARDS to registered voters and only removing those whose POSTCARDS WERE RETURNED 'UNDELIVERABLE'"

And this ensures that the process is substantially honest in what way?

And, does this means that the USPS is now the responsible authority upon which each and every registered voter is dependent upon, for the securing of their Right to Vote?

And, does this result in a more current, reliable, accurate, complete and honest list of registered voters being available during every election cycle?

And, do the current procedures provide opportunities for individuals intent on committing election fraud?

And, if so, in what ways and by what means?

(I wonder if the ALL CAPS poster could provide many answers to the last question)


"WHEN DOES HUGH RUN?"

Why all this obsessive interest in Hugh?

Why does the ALL CAPS poster feel such an intense, and pathological, compulsion concerning the comments of Hugh, the imagined intentions of Hugh and the future endeavors of Hugh?

Might the ALL CAPS poster have some emotional interest in Hugh?

Some emotional interest that the ALL CAPS poster isn't aware of?

And isn't aware that we, the readers, are all painfully aware of?


"....then he would have to actually come up with solutions instead of only COMPLAINTS!"

Hugh may, indeed, have his own many opinions on the many solutions to the, admitted by the ALL CAPS poster, PROBLEMS.

I, being NOT Hugh, have my own beginning of said solutions, to wit:

REGISTER TO VOTE

VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION

HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT


Those readers interested in the specifics of the above, the reasoning leading to my developing this voting strategy and the reasons why the implementation of this strategy is needed, are free to peruse the articles and comments on this blog, thus saving us all the inevitable bitch-ragging that reliably follows my reposting them in their entirety.


I, for one, appreciate the service Hugh is providing, said service being to do contemporaneous, as well as historical, research on the many questionable activities, (of our elected public officials, their appointed and/or hired underlings and those contracted by same), on which our hard-earned tax dollars are expended.

Hugh's comments stimulate much more than the thought-free rants of the ALL CAPS poster and his/her ilk.

Hugh's comments encourage the critical thinking that is necessary for the people at large to ever have a hope at ending the numerous thefts by fraud being perpetrated on them, by those in our city, county and state, who we have entrusted with great authority and great responsibility, and who have blatantly and arrogantly betrayed that trust.

Thanks, Hugh, hughever you are.

The "new" Seqouia machines are of particular concern.

1. there is a bizarre set of holding companies and corporate ownership that finds it's way to Venezuela.
These same touch screen machines are the ones that supposedly had fraudulent elections in Venezuela.
This was found out by the media and hearings by Alderman Ed Burke.

2. The lobbying was done by Michael Kasper and Victor Reyes (Reyes of HDO corruption fame and part of federal indictments)
How the Seqouia contracts came to be is worthy of investigation.

3. The Department of Treasury has an investigation into this company.

4. There are law suits in other states.

5. There is a lack of security for the data which is easily manipulated.

6. There was a lack of training.

7. The electronic transmissions (sometimes through cell phones) was systematically a failure.

8. There were broken cartridges, and damaged data.

The 2006, and 2007 elections were not fair nor accurate.
It is very very scary.

Maybe next year

Although Larry Suffredin has found lobbyist & County Commish to be a lucrative synergy, next year he will decide that lobbyist & County States Attorney are probably incompatible occupations in the public perception, and will reluctantly give up one or the other.

How can Larry Suffredino be a State's Attorney when he was a power player liar liar lawyer lobbyist representing BIG TOBACCO???!!!!
Larry Suffredino also represented CONVICTED KILLER named SATAN??!!!!
Getting money for scumbags and killers!!!!???????

Lying Larry should not be in any authority legally and certainly not a prosecutor.

HUGH ,AKA NOT HUGH IS A TURNSPEAK MASTER; HIS OBSESSION WITH DISTORTIONS AND FALSE CONCLUSIONS LEADS HIM TO ACCUSE MOIS WITH AN OBSESSION---SO -HERE IT IS---I AM NOT OBSESSED , BUT DETERMINED WITH NOT LETTING AN ANARCHIST ,LIAR,AND SLANDERER NAMED HUGH TO BE ABLE TO LIE ABOUT PEOPLE AT WILL,AND NOT BE CHALLENGED! IF HUGH DIDN'T POST SO VOLUMNUOUSLY IN OBSESSION ,ON MANY SITES, IT WOULDN'T BE NECESSARY TO CONFRONT HIM SO OFTEN!

Actually, I see Hugh as one of the few people out there who is persistent enough to point out to the general public what many politicians don't want us to know. There is widespread corruption in Chicago and Cook County and right now, there is NOTHING stopping it. So I welcome all the "Hughs" out there who can give some light to this.

If you don't want Hugh to do what he's doing, then help him shine some light on the corruption that is out there. You have to admit that "Chicago politics" have become two dirty words when put together in the English language.

It would be ironic, if the ALL CAPS poster's 'campaign', to 'confront' the comments of 'hugh', hughever hugh may be, resulted in Hugh becoming well known enough, well appreciated enough, well respected enough and well liked enough to actually run for office and win.

How ironically and accidentally Machiavellian that would be.

Would that make the ALL CAPS poster the Machiavellian factor or the accidental one?

Stories of Jon Burge electrocuting men's balls gets me all hot and bothered.

YOU DO REALIZE THAT IF HUGH RAN AND WON,HE WOULD THAN BE AN INCUMBENT PUBLIC OFFICIAL AND VULNERABLE TO HIS OWN SCORN.ALSO, IF BY SOME MEANS IT WAS A LEGISLATIVE POSITION, HIS POOR DISTRICT WOULD HAVE THE PROBLEM OF NON-REPRESENTATION,SINCE HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES WOULDN'T GET ALONG,ESPECIALLY SINCE HE'S SLANDERED MOST OF THEM.IT WOULD BE LIKE THE SECOND COMING OF GUS SAVAGE,ACTUALLY!

You don't take long to post, or to think about what you post, now, do you?


"YOU DO REALIZE THAT IF HUGH RAN AND WON,HE WOULD THAN BE AN INCUMBENT PUBLIC OFFICIAL AND VULNERABLE TO HIS OWN SCORN."

Of course you do realize the many, and I do mean many, irrationalities in this sentence, don't you?

Let's see how many we can find.

1 - If Hugh 'ran and won', he'd be doing so on the very platform that YOU don't support, namely, total transparency, total accountability and total freedom from deception, dishonesty, fraudulent criminal behaviors and authentic, sincere representation of the interests of all those citizens he'd be representing, including those who did not vote for him, did not vote at all and were not even eligible to vote at the time of his election.

2 - If Hugh 'ran and won', he'd also be thoroughly aware of the high standard of behavior he'd established and, no doubt, be acutely aware of the obvious fact that those citizens who voted for him and those citizens who voted for someone other than him, would be scrutinizing his every move from day one in office. (something, I might add, that few, if any, reelected incumbents would have to give even a passing thought to happening to them)

3 - If Hugh 'ran and won', what do you think would be the first thing his new, or old, fellow elected officials would do, concerning how they'd 'deal' with his election? I'd bet it would be to use his own positions against him, as best they could, posturing in public, as if THEY were the supporters of transparent governing, as if THEY were the proponents of honesty, integrity, sincere representation of their constituents, effective accountability and the limited use of taxpayers dollars for the sole benefit of said taxpayers.

4 - If Hugh 'ran and won', do you really believe that he would be MORE vulnerable than those incumbent, machine hacks who managed to survive and be reelected?

5 - If Hugh 'ran and won', what gives you the impression that this occurrence, the election of an individual dedicated to rigorous honesty, would be an isolated one?

6 - If Hugh 'ran and won', the only reasonable expectation of what would follow would be for those incumbents who remained in office to review the possible reasons Hugh got elected, reassess their opinions of the electorate's 'mood' and determine what their future actions, relevant to same, might need to be, need to be being determined by their intentions, ambitions and agendas.

7 - If Hugh 'ran and won', the only vulnerability he would have "...TO HIS OWN SCORN." would be if he failed to continue to be himself. (I'll leave it to you to figure out what this entails, as my experiences with your thought processes lead me to believe that nothing I could say on the subject would be likely to penetrate your predetermined assumptions on same)



"ALSO, IF BY SOME MEANS IT WAS A LEGISLATIVE POSITION, HIS POOR DISTRICT WOULD HAVE THE PROBLEM OF NON-REPRESENTATION,SINCE HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES WOULDN'T GET ALONG,ESPECIALLY SINCE HE'S SLANDERED MOST OF THEM."


What makes you think that, if Hugh 'ran and won', he'd be the only candidate to unseat a sitting incumbent or defeat a party slated/anointed candidate?

Under what political, social and economic conditions do you think Hugh would likely be able to run and win? (I'll leave you to ponder the meanings inherent in the above two question's answers)



"IT WOULD BE LIKE THE SECOND COMING OF GUS SAVAGE,ACTUALLY!"


You have been around for a while, haven't you?

Langdon Neal should be an affront to every honest voter. Neal"s law firm does 12 million in legal work for master Daley. The board should be an elective position with term limits. The computerized voting has made it easier to votes. Only a high school level of programming is needed to subvert,the vote tally.

HUGH CANT EVEN KEEP HIS OWN BLOG UP AND RUNNING/ SO HE HAS TO POST ON EVERYONE ELSES/

HUGH FOR CROOK COUNTY DOG CATCHER/

Maybe next year

Daley will remember "how a former gang member earning $27,000 a year as a car booter in 1996 could be promoted in just two years to overseeing the Hired Truck Program, where he eventually made about $78,000 a year."

http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/113253,cst-nws-...

It looks like another Machine Hack invasion of this web site.

You wish.

TONY PERAICA is the man with a plan and will win the Cook County States Attorney race in 2008!

Desperation breeds contemptible personalities.

Said contemptible personalities currently sharing their contempt for Democracy here, on this comment board.

Race baiting, Religious hatreds, Gender prejudices, Fear mongering, etc., you name it, the contemptuous personalities will spout it with abandon.

Traditional politics at it's most despicable.

What we've come to expect from all the usual suspects.

Maybe next year

The City of Chicago will publish on their website a notice, agenda, or minutes of a TIF Joint Review Board meeting.

maybe next year

Our property tax bills in Cook County will show TIF districts, just like every other tax district, just like everywhere else in Illinois

I MEAN, MUST you make Tony Peraica as superior & sacred as Jesus Christ???????????.

he will lose and all his sissy supporters.

Coconutty's message board is up and running!!!!
www.frankcoconate.com

Than hit message link!

For your consideration, we present the last three months worth of observations and solutions proposed by the inimitable 'Hugh':


"Hugh
October 3rd - 4:19 p.m.

'There is nothing in state law that prevents the city from retiring many of these TIF districts. One TIF district in each ward retired and you could go a long way toward solving much of the structural revenue problems the city faces in the coming two decades.'

State law REQUIRES cities to retire a TIF if it goes 7 years without a project.

Many Chicago TIFs continue to operate in violation of this law, diverting property taxes away from the County, schools, parks, and libraries and into the Mayor's slush fund, in flagrant violation of state law."


"Hugh
October 19th - 1:06 p.m.

questions to ponder

A duly elected, sworn-in, sitting alderman of the City of Chicago. Has in front of her the complete budget documents as prepared by the chief executive.

Why is she asking how many TIFs there are?

Why is she asking what the TIF balance is?

Is her reading comprehension flawed?

No.

Because TIF is NO WHERE mentioned in the budget.

TIFs are OFF BUDGET.

$700M not on the table

but your taxes are going up"



"Hugh
October 19th - 5:21 p.m.

Daley's Budget Director Bennett Johnson III:

'I know right now we do charge obviously for administrative costs in setting up those TIFs'

For SETTING UP the TIFs, Mr. Director?

Were you sworn in?

Your Dept of Planning & Development takes 'administrative fees' out of EVERY TIF, EVERY YEAR.

Even TIFs with NO ACTIVITY.

Your TIF annual reports to the state show the property tax money LEAVING the TIF accounts, going to DPD, but your DPD budgets do not show the income.

What's up with that?"


"Hugh
October 20th - 1:44 p.m.

Listen to our City budget director & comptroller plea that under state law the TIF property tax dollars are in an impenetrable lockbox.

Well, a few years ago Daley had another little shortfall crisis - Millennium Park overruns. Normally no problem except that Millennium Park is not in any TIF district, though it was across the street from the Central Loop TIF, Chicago's oldest and most lucrative off-budget slush fund.

Originally in IL TIF funds could only be used INSIDE a TIF district. So they liberalized state law to allow TIF money to cross streets. Crisis averted."


"Hugh
October 20th - 5:56 p.m.

how to interpret the code words of City Hall

'as the TIF statute is written now, you can't pay for general services.'

translation:

'Look lady, the $700M is not yours to do with.

It doesn't belong to you.

It belongs to the Mayor's developer pals.

They have spent good money and lots of it over the last couple of decades purchasing politicians to construct their lockbox in state law and stuff it full of property taxes.

If you had some bright ideas about how we should be spending our money, you should have seen this day coming like they did.

We have a wide-open, free market place for politicians here in Illinois, and you had the same opportunity to purchase influence as everyone else.

Don't blame us for your lack of foresight.'"


"Hugh
October 22nd - 11:09 a.m.

May more follow her lead.

Planning & Development is due up today Monday 10/22 in the Budget hearings.

Question We Wish Someone Would Ask

That $700M, can you please direct my attention to it in these budget documents?

Those 'administrative fees', can you please direct my attention to where they are realized as revenue in these budget documents?

If not, what OTHER sources of revenue are not documented in the Mayor's budget proposal?

And what OTHER city operations, other than 'setting up TIFs' are not comprehended by this document?"


"Hugh
October 22nd - 11:23 a.m.

Those 156 TIFs, from how many of them did the City extract 'administrative fees' last year?"


"Hugh
November 6th - 11:23 a.m.

What's a father to do when his favorite daughter stomps her foot?

PLEASE, Daddy, PLEASE, buy me a senate seat!

You gave Robin the Foundation. You gave Jenny the investments. You KNOW they never learned to SHARE anything!. Where's mine? Do I have to wait for you to die? This is all I want.

Donald bought Ivanka a luxury condo tower to play with, you'll get off easy!

And it's not even the REAL Senate. It's the STATE Senate. Just get me this, I PROMISE I'll never to ask for anything EVER again. I PROMISE I'll get to the REAL Senate all on my own! I don't want to be a leech forever, what do you think I am?

I PROMISE to keep the campaign under 8 figures. It'll be EASY. It's EDGEWATER, for god's sake.

If you buy me on one more board seat, I'll just SCREAM! I'm TIRED of fundraising for other people, always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Think about it: you can be the next Joe Kennedy, except with GIRLS! It'll be FUN!

PLEASE, Daddy, PLEASE?"


"Hugh
November 18th - 10:49 p.m.

Every TIF project is dirty, in the sense that every TIF project has a developer or landowner or corporation or TIF consultant or lobbyist that contributes to the mayor and/or one or more aldermen.

Free lifetime subscription to the Reader to anyone who can find a TIF project that is not pay-to-play.

From examining a large number of TIF projects, I estimate as a rule of thumb that about 1/2 of 1% of every TIF project dollar ends up in campaign coffers.

That may not sound like a lot, but when you're talking hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and recognize that a few tens of thousands of dollars is an effective barrier to entry of Real People into Club 50 (I think James will give me an amen there), you see that the lack of oversight of TIF has severe political implications.

Chicago's TIF program is in effect public funding of political campaigns for incumbents."


"Hugh
November 28th - 12:01 p.m.

'Aldermanic priviledge is something most Alderman should continue to back. ... it is not the job of Waguespack to look after the interest of small business owners of the 47th Ward.'

Yes it is.

An alderman is not a little mayor.

An alderman is a member of the Chicago City Council, not ward czar.

By extension of your argument, why have committees? why have a Council?

We have 50 little dictators. The yes men are cowards hiding behind "aldermanic privilege" as their excuse for shirking their responsibility.

An alderman can't vote 'aye' on an issue and then turn around and explain that their vote has nothing to do with the issue, it was respect for 'aldermanic privilege'. That's cowardice & shirking."



"Hugh
November 28th - 6:03 p.m.

'Alderman Waguespack probably believes that the voters of a specific ward should remove their Alderman if they are unhappy with them selling out to developers, but he doesn't want Suarez or Shulter having the final say on what goes on in the 32nd Ward.'

As citizens of Chicago we have no choice but to hold ALL the aldermen responsible for ALL their votes. no matter how hard they try to weasel out of their responsibility. Waguespack, Suarez, or Schulter do not have the final say about legislation affecting the 32nd - the Chicago City Council does. That's their responsibility under state law, it has nothing to do with anything Waguespack, Suarez, or Schulter think.

If Waguespack REALLY believed in his heart of hearts that 'this issue has nothing to do with me' the proper option might perhaps he recusing himself or not voting or voting present, but voting in favor ain't nothing but going along to get along.

I guess the aldermen are just like every other City dept - get on the payroll and then mutually conspire with your colleagues to not do their jobs.

I bet Waguespack won't post on his website how important the mythical 'aldermanic privilege' is to him and announcing that he intends to honor it and vote in favor of everything that does not immediately effect the 32nd. To do so would be to admit he does not understand basic civics. You never hear aldermen use 'aldermanic privilege' as an excuse, just apologists for aldermen."



"Hugh
November 29th - 12:41 a.m.

'Why should the other aldermen have any vote at all on anther aldermans ward project, they have NO IDEA what goes in the other wards ... '

It is the sworn responsibility of each and every alderman to inform themselves about each and every issue that comes up for a vote. Anything less is just your par-for-the-course Chicago payroller laziness."


"Hugh
November 29th - 2:19 p.m.

'Where is the developer? I haven't seen anything on paper. Has there been a developer chosen for the job? If not, then there's no deal. quit your whining.'

The Pioneer Press reported (link above):

'Schulter has maintained that he started the process because he was fielding too many calls from private developers ... '

No developer has been officially announced does not mean they are not lined up.

Schulter knows who they are he just hasn't said yet.

When they are announced we can all check the campaign contributions online and all will become clear in hindsight.

So why didn't Schulter direct the inquiries to the owners of these properties with a hearty 'good luck'?

That's the American way, right?

The owner of property gets to decide if & when they sell and for how much?

Instead the alderman rents out the City's power of eminent domain to private developers for a fee."



"Hugh
December 1st - 4:45 p.m.

'Aldermanic privilege is something most Alderman should continue to back. Alderman Waguespack probably ... doesn't want Suarez or Shulter having the final say on what goes on in the 32nd Ward. That is between him and his constituents.

The same goes for the Mayor trying to railroad Alderman Rielly with the Childerens Muesuem. Alderman Rielly listened to his constituents, and the other Alderman are going to have to live with his dissions.'

I'm gonna take another crack at debunking this bogus idea or aldermanic privilege.

First, under state law the power of eminent domain rests with the City Council.

The City Council is the corporate authority for the City of Chicago.

Schulter is not the corporate authority of the 47th ward, even if all 50 alderman think he is."


"Hugh
December 1st - 4:48 p.m.

I suppose it's not surprising that some aldermen might want to use aldermanic privilege as some kind of excuse for nonperformance and don't mind betraying their ignorance of basic civics, but citizens aping their excuse is ridiculous."


"Hugh
December 1st - 4:52 p.m.

Let's try analogize with another legislative body.

If you heard that a Senator voted 90% in lockstep with Mitch O'Donnell or Trent Lott, you would think, what a tool, what a cog, has he no initiative? has he no thoughts in his head?

But when a Chicago alderman looks to a colleague for how to perform his most sacred duty his vote in Council, the one thing he can do that we can't, well, that's a time-honored tradition, it's the Chicago way."


"Hugh
December 1st - 4:56 p.m.

Defenders of the aldermanic privilege option spin the practice as a DEFENSE of the rights of the constituents in the ward - any chink in the tradition would bring outside influence in.

Well, aldermanic privilege is not in DEFENSE of local representation - it is the DENIAL of local representation."


"Hugh
December 1st - 5:04 p.m.

Let's take the eminent domain action as an example. All sorts of people who don't live in the 47th have opinions on whether this is good government, whether it is fair.

Because maybe YOU'RE NEXT!

Whatever your position, you would hope that on a good day YOUR alderman might represent YOUR views in City Council. If the good folks of the 32nd ward understood what was happening in the 47th Waguespack's phone would be ringing off the wall.

Let's take the Children's Museum as an example. Even if you don't live downtown you might have an opinion on whether or City's front yard is a good place for new construction. Because we all have parks in our wards. I want my voice heard. Ald. Reilly is entitled to his vote, but it's not up to him."


"Hugh
December 1st - 5:10 p.m.

We fight eminent domain over there so we don't have to fight it here.

We fight tearing up our parks over there so we don't have to fight it here."


"Hugh
December 1st - 5:14 p.m.

so...

when you hear an alderman invoking 'aldermanic privilege" in explanation for a vote:

'Sorry you disagree, but that's not in our ward, and the local alderman was in favor.'

... what you should be thinking is:

what a tool, what a cog in the machine, what a lazy ass, I ask you to do ONE THING which is go downtown and represent ME but you are so caught up with going along to get along that you can't manage it"


"Hugh
December 14th - 10:15 a.m.

'47th Ward alderman Gene Schulter was seeking public funds to keep private development out -- at least a certain kind of private development. Schulter contended that the commercial strip, ... was starting to attract the interest of big-box chains. By beating the big boxes to the punch, he said, his plan would actually protect small businesses and help keep the community free of too much traffic and congestion.'

The justification Schulter has repeatedly been offering for this land grab is patently absurd.

If keeping big box stores out is the justification, there's much simpler ways than condemnation.

The alderman is Zoning Czar in Chicago. Schulter could have down-zoned the area on Western in a few weeks with little or no public scrutiny. Why not simply rezone the area as B1-1 or even R1 or something? That would keep big-box stores out.

Of course that may be totally inappropriate to the current uses, but it would hardly be the 1st time non-conforming zoning was used to control development.

After all, two terms ago Schulter himself methodically went through his ward and down-zoned vast areas to prevent tear-downs, making many large apartment buildings 'non-conforming' in the process.

The real explanation for Schulter's behavior lies in an examination of his campaign contributions."


"Hugh
December 19th - 11:25 a.m.

They may be self-pronounced "progressives", but they are loyal Democrats first, and their only conception of reform is expanding government.

Instead of 'trying' to hire someone, why doesn't our self-appointed 'Progressive' leadership do something SIMPLE, something that won't require underwriting, like, VOTE LIKE PROGRESSIVES, see who joins them.

Start TODAY."


"Hugh
December 19th - 11:35 a.m.

If they have funding and they want to hire someone, the only 1st step that makes any sense is to hire a law firm to challenge Daley's budget documents in court, defend our right under state law to an accurate portrayal of our fiscal situation, use discovery to get to the bottom of the off-the-books headcount, among many other serious misrepresentations."


"Hugh
December 20th - 5:46 p.m.

Moore: ' ... we think the City Council is actually a separate branch of government and needs some independent information.'

If Moore, Preckwinkle, and Munoz are upset that they can't get information on the City budget independent of Daley, maybe they should hold a joint press conference:

'Know Your Budget Committee Staff'

Click off a PowerPoint presentation of each of the beneficiaries of the $484,534 of taxpayer money going to Budget Committee staff.

For each staffer, explain whose nephew or niece or precinct captain they are.

For extra credit, explain what they do from Dec-Oct every year.

Alderman may have prohibited our City's Inspector General from investigating our City Council and their staffs, but aldermen can still investigate aldermen."


"Hugh
December 22nd - 12:46 p.m.

I'd like to learn from our elected representatives more about the backgrounds & qualifications of the Budget Committee staff. I wonder if there is anyone in that $485K with a background in public finance (other than serving as a Budget Committee staffer), let alone maybe an MBA in a related field, or if they are ALL friends & family."


"Hugh
December 26th - 12:51 p.m.

If Moore, Preckwinkle, and Munoz held a press conference, and released to the press copies of their correspondence with the City Council Budget Committee staff, documenting their numerous reasonable requests over the last few months for answers to questions, proposed analyses and studies of the fiscal state of the City of Chicago, and explained to the press that they got no response, then I would have to agree that maybe there IS an independent, progressive, sometime-opposition bloc in the Chicago City Council."


"Hugh
January 1st - 1:11 p.m.

' ... aldermen say that getting an independent/progressive/sometime-opposition bloc together has been slow and tough--or at least slower and tougher than initially expected. Call them smart or write them off as wusses, but several aldermen who've worked with Moore, Preckwinkle, and Munoz on particular issues, such as police accountability or affordable housing, have shown only tepid interest in appearing to join ...'

In 2 decades in City Council, the only alderman Moore has been able to convince to bow down before him and accept him as Leader has been Little Ricky Munoz. Munoz has been a freshman alderman since 1993.

For most aldermen, joining the same club as Moore does not have appeal that Moore imagines. Most aldermen probably think they already have enough useless waste of time meetings on their schedule with Council meeting every month.

I dunno, maybe the building a progressive caucus as a cult of personality is not the way to go.

Hey, I've got an idea, why not take it by cases, draft some progressive-sounding legislation, put it in the hopper, walk it around, see who signs up.

Maybe it would help if the self-anointed progressives had an actual, you know, agenda or something. Off the top of my head, gosh, I don't know, new restrictions on pay-to-play zoning, more transparency in contracting, expand IG role to introduce accountability into City Council committee staffs, rules changes to require roll calls on expenditures and taxes, meet more than once a month to increase opportunities for discourse, internet publishing of transcripts, whatever, I'm sure the so-called progressives read the same papers we do.

Of course, I'm not a professional politician like them, what do I know, I'm just a dumb guy with a computer."


"Hugh
December 26th - 12:09 p.m.

'I don’t think Ald. Waguespack should charge windmills or fight loosing battles.'

The one thing our alderman can do that we can't is vote in City Council. An alderman's vote in Council is not charging at windmills, it is their single most important responsibility.

EVERY TIME a vote is cast that is not congruent with his constituents, our alderman has betrayed us. It doesn't a matter what feeble justification they offer for their abhorrent behavior, 'aldermanic privilege', 'aldermanic prerogative', 'relationship building', whatever, it is WRONG, and there is NO WAY to excuse or forgive it.

There is NO higher principle than representing your constituents with EVERY vote.

If you don't hold your aldermen responsible for their vote then you can't hold them responsible for anything, there is no accountability.

Unless Waguespack somehow believes a majority of his constituents think that what Chicago needs most right now is 6 new TIF districts, he has betrayed his constituents.

Unless Waguespack somehow believes a majority of his constituents think that our City should be in the business of transferring private property from non-clouted owners to hooked-up developers/campaign contributors, he has betrayed his constituents.

'I have much higher expectations ... and reminding the few truly progressive elected officials that we are watching them and will hold them accountable to our desires.'

Why are you so quick to look the other way when they don't?"


"Hugh
December 26th - 12:11 p.m.

Collegiality is important in a deliberative body like a legislator like our City Council.

It's important that our alderman listen respectfully to each other and respect each other's opinions. And that respect extends to their votes. Voting differently is not 'picking a fight'.

Too little collegiality is a problem, and so is too much. Collegiality is nothing as compared to the most important value in an elected representative: representation. When collegiality interferes with an elected representative representing their constituency, a an elected representative fails in their fundamental mission.

Waguespack owes Schulter NOTHING. Waguespack owes EVERYTHING to his constituents.

Chicago's aldermen have been feeding Chicagoans lame excuses for their non-performance for so long, even otherwise intelligent people think it makes sense.

Representative democracy will emerge in Chicago when we stop swallowing the old excuses.

News Years Resolution: Stop accepting the old excuses. Insist your alderman represent YOU."


"Hugh
December 29th - 2:05 p.m.

'We are positioning ourselves for the next big political fight not trying to win some short-term points...'

You clearly have no idea how to run an opposition party. If you really want to get ready for the next political fight, what you need to do is get the aldermen on record. Give the next batch of challengers something to run on.

Introduce an ordinance expanding the IG to aldermen. Or ban contributions from developers seeking zoning changes, AND their attorneys and lobbyists. Increase the notification radius on zoning changes from 250' to 500', and publish the lists. Require re-notification of neighbors when a hearing is re-scheduled. Mandate neighborhood meetings. Etc. Etc.

Doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING vaguely progressive is indistinguishable from complete co-option.

Why does a dumb guy like me have to come up with these ideas?"


"Hugh
January 1st - 9:59 a.m.

Winners

Chicago Association of Realtors

Decades of methodical investment in purchasing the seats of elected representatives in Chicago and Springfield pays off with the continued amassing of a slush fund which immunizes their industry from the worst effects of the most severe downturn in generations, and is completely off the table in civic discussions of education, transportation, and tax fairness."


"Hugh
January 1st - 2:53 p.m.

Winners

Daley

Showed he knows how to have his cake & eat it, how to use a PAC to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to prop up his control of the legislative branch while all the while touting his self-imposed ban on accepting campaign contributions from those seeking favors from the City."


"Hugh
January 3rd - 11:39 a.m.

Maybe next year

The City of Chicago will publish on their website a notice, agenda, or minutes of a TIF Joint Review Board meeting."


"Hugh
January 3rd - 2:31 p.m.

maybe next year

Our property tax bills in Cook County will show TIF districts, just like every other tax district, just like everywhere else in Illinois"



And here are a few of Hugh's posts containing links to interesting information:



Hugh
October 7th - 4:01 p.m.

Here's a link to the Human Resources Board budget, $8.3M for 2007

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/1......

head count 5
Chair @ $39K/yr,
2 members @ $22K/yr,
a "project coordinator" @ $78K/yr,
and an admin asst @ $34K/yr



Hugh
October 7th - 4:31 p.m.

list of City jobs and salaries

Classification and Pay Plan

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPort......



Hugh
October 8th - 9:47 a.m.

hmm, that's odd, no Valentina Mirabelli licensed as an attorney in IL

an error in Daley's 1st half 2007 campaign disclosure?

Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission Lawyer Search

http://www.iardc.org/lawyersearch.asp



Hugh
October 8th - 1 p.m.

Edna Turkington

licensed atty in IL since 1974

changed name
from Edna Irby Turkingto
to Edna Turkington-Viktora

also a judge on Cook County Circuit Court

http://www.cookcountycourt.org/publications/pdf/In......



Hugh
October 9th - 1:23 p.m.

City engineer Jim McTigue was Daley's (only) fall-guy for the Great Loop Flood. The Human Resources Board concurred with the hearing officer THREE TIMES on his dismissal, as the courts kept sending it back. Then he died.

McTigue v. HR Board

http://www.state.il.us/court/opinions/AppellateCou......

Illinois Senate Resolution Mourning Death

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocNa......



Hugh
October 11th - 11:39 a.m.

Chicago's 'hidden tax increase'

County commissioner's TIF tiff with Daley in the spotlight

"October 11, 2007
BY MARK BROWN Sun-Times Columnist

Excerpt:

The guy who really knows how to explain TIFs is Ben Joravsky, the columnist from the Chicago Reader who has made it a personal crusade. Check out his past columns on the subject if you're interested in learning more right away. I promise I'll try to do more."

More...

http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/598514,CST-NWS-......

http://www.chicagoreader.com/tifarchive/



Hugh
October 11th - 1:44 p.m.

"We won't be, as you in the media like to put it, a rubber stamp," vowed 34th Ward alderman Carrie Austin

Austin on recent Daley budgets

2001 - Austin: YEA!

http://council.forum49.org/Journal-2000-11-15-003....

2002 - Austin: YEA!

http://council.forum49.org/Journal-2001-12-12-002....

2003 - Austin: YEA!

http://council.forum49.org/Journal-2002-12-04-020....

2004 - Austin: YEA!

http://council.forum49.org/Journal-2003-11-19-005....

2005 - Austin: YEA!

http://council.forum49.org/Journal-2004-12-15-004....

2006 - Austin: YEA!

http://council.forum49.org/Journal-2005-12-14-004....

2007 - Austin: YEA!

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/1......



Hugh
October 11th - 5:06 p.m.

WOW!

Thank You, Better Government Association of Chicago!

Their new online database of City & County employees is a VERY IMPORTANT TOOL. For one, citizens will be able to look up the goons that hang around polling places on election day.

Please send them a note and thank them and encourage them to keep it current.

Suggestion: add Park District

http://www.bettergov.org/Research/Employees.aspx



Hugh
October 12th - 11:27 a.m.

"Great work, Hugh"

it's not my work

PLEASE send BGA a note and thank them for doing this!

http://www.bettergov.org/contact.html



Hugh
October 13th - 1:56 p.m.

> Pat Camden, the deputy director of news affairs. ... "Talking to our legal people, it's their interpretation that CAPS meetings do not fall under the Open Meetings Act," he said.

wow

that's really bad advice

The police dept needs new legal people

Mick linked to the text of the Open meetings Act, above

Here's a link to an excellent, somewhat more accessible explanation of our rights as citizens of Illinois (Chicago is in Illinois), written by the Attorney General's office:

Guide to the Open Meetings Act

http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/government/......

a must-read for anyone who goes to public meetings in Illinois



Hugh
October 15th - 10:29 a.m.

Here's another EXCELLENT, readable open government resource, includes both freedom of information an open meetings info:

Open Government Guide: Illinois

Prepared by:

Donald M. Craven, Esq.
Scott B. Sievers, Esq.

http://www.rcfp.org/ogg/index.php?op=browse&state=......



Hugh
October 19th - 3:04 p.m.

FIND THE $700 MILLION CONTEST

Chicago Budget Game, Home Version

Play along at Alderman Dowell on your own computer!

Go to the City web site

http://egov.cityofchicago.org

Select City Departments at the top

Scroll down to Budget & Management

Click on 2008 Budget

Browse the proposed budget documents

Find the $700M

Find ANY MENTION of TIF

win valuable prizes including property tax relief



Hugh
October 27th - 1:22 p.m.

How did Carrie Austin get to chair the budget meetings?

same way she got to be alderman:

her husband died and Daley appointed her

Oh, and Beavers moved up to County Board

Alderman gets post once held by husband

CITY COUNCIL

Daley taps Austin to lead Budget Committee

May 23, 2007

BY FRAN SPIELMAN Sun-Times City Hall Reporter

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/397251,CST-N......



Hugh
October 30th - 12:34 p.m.

AN “INCONVENIENT TRUTH”:
CHICAGOANS LOVE DALEY

ANALYSIS & OPINION BY RUSS STEWART

http://www.russstewart.com/10-17-07.htm



Hugh
November 1st - 11:31 a.m.

"Black and "independent" aldermen appear to be more open to many of the tax ideas than the mayor's usual friends, but they're only going to support them if Daley gives them a few gifts in return--such as additional funding for the Inspector General's office or an agreement to settle the police torture lawsuits."

Listening on aldertrack, it seems like most of Daley's dept heads were grilled on minority hiring & contracting. Apparently these numbers are not available elsewhere. To the list of "gifts" you might add renewed lip-service to minority hiring & contracting and the 120% bump in the aldermen's office allowance.

http://aldertrack.typepad.com/aldertrack2/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-daley......



Hugh
November 2nd - 12:42 a.m.

"My bet is the city will finance a large chunk of the Olympics with property taxes taken from several TIF districts."

-B. Joravsky, March 14, 2007

http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thew......



Hugh
November 2nd - 11:16 a.m.

Gutierrez joins Daley bandwagon

Congressman once tied mayor to corruption

Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, Feb 13, 2007

Nine months ago, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) delivered a blistering critique of Mayor Daley before the City Club of Chicago that appeared to lay the groundwork for a campaign for mayor.

Gutierrez talked about a mayor besieged by corruption who had been in power too long. He accused Daley of wasting time and money on Millennium Park and attracting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games at the expense of public schools. He called it "offensive" that only two of every 100 Hispanic freshmen in Chicago public high schools go on to college. ...

Gutierrez said his on-again, off-again alliance with Daley was back on again after the mayor invited him to a Saturday morning breakfast about a month ago.

Daley assured Gutierrez that no public money would be spent on a Chicago Olympics ...

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20......



Hugh
November 3rd - 12:15 p.m.

Wow. Hubby Leo is a serious mover & shaker.

You see the dough to MA Smith & Ronen, of course, but for me even more repugnant than the mega-dough to Blago is the mega-dough to Emil Jones, Madigan, and other House Republicans.

And, hey, that's odd:

The IL SOS shows the NFP corp "ILLINOIS BIRTH TO FIVE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE" as in involuntary dissolution since 7/1/00.

But the IL Board of Elections shows them collecting & dispersing funds into 2004.

In 2005 the PAC took their last $10K and split it up between 3 Republican candidates, after which Leo carried on collecting and dispersing cash in his own name.

someone has some 'splaining to do...

http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosur......

http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/



Hugh
November 18th - 10:40 p.m.

Crain's coverage of Orr's report by Greg Hinz

City's TIF take passes $500-million mark

Nov. 15, 2007

http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=2714......
By Greg Hinz



Hugh
November 18th - 11:06 p.m.

Sun-Times coverage

'Startling': Chicago TIFs collect $500 mil

BUDGET DRAIN?

Tax districts too secret, critic says

November 16, 2007

BY STEVE PATTERSON

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/653874,CST-NWS-......



Hugh
December 17th - 10:48 a.m.

Watch for it

All or part of the disputed area, the east side of the 4800 block of N Western, will eventually be redeveloped, and the redevelopment will involve major Schulter campaign contributor Bill Platt of Access and/or major Schulter campaign contributor Tony Ruh.

You heard it here 1st.

http://accessgroupchicago.com

http://www.ruhrealty.com/

http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosur......



Hugh
December 19th - 11:21 a.m.

Preckwinkle, Moore, and Munoz:

100% Rubber Stamp Rating on TIF Expansion

6/13/07: LITTLE VILLAGE TIF

Preckwinkle - AYE!
Moore - AYE!
Munoz - AYE!

CJP 2532

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

7/19/07: ELSTON/ARMSTRONG TIF

Preckwinkle - AYE!
Moore - AYE!
Munoz - AYE!

CJP 4077

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

9/5/07 PERSHING/KING TIF

Preckwinkle - AYE!
Moore - AYE!
Munoz - AYE!

CJP 6320

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

9/27/07: AUSTIN/ COMMERCIAL TIF

Preckwinkle - AYE!
Moore - AYE!
Munoz - AYE!

CJP 8863

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

11/7/07: Hollywood/Sheridan TIF

Preckwinkle - AYE!
Moore - AYE!
Munoz - AYE!

CJP 13771

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/1......

And that's just THIS TERM.

TIF reform proposals introduced by Preckwinkle, Moore, and Munoz during the same period: 0



Hugh
December 19th - 11:44 a.m.

Moore: " ... we think the City Council is actually a separate branch of government and needs some independent information."

The City Council's budget committee has an annual budget of $536,024, $484,534 of which is headcount. They work a couple few months every fall. No one is sure what they do the rest of the year.

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPort......



Hugh
December 20th - 6:01 p.m.

The complete document is supposed to be available at

shakmanmonitor.com soon

it's up

http://shakmanmonitor.com/status/

http://shakmanmonitor.com/status/Monitor's_Report_......



Hugh
December 24th - 1:22 p.m.

"This game with Daley is only a game. When it comes down to real business. He'll [Reilly'll] go with the combine."

Reilly: 100% Rubber Stamp Rating on TIF Expansion

6/13/07: LITTLE VILLAGE TIF

Reilly: AYE!

CJP 2532

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

7/19/07: ELSTON/ARMSTRONG TIF

Reilly: AYE!

CJP 4077

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

9/5/07 PERSHING/KING TIF

Reilly: AYE!

CJP 6320

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

9/27/07: AUSTIN/ COMMERCIAL TIF

Reilly: AYE!

CJP 8863

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/0......

11/7/07: Hollywood/Sheridan TIF

Reilly: AYE!

CJP 13771

http://www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/journals/1......

TIF reform proposals introduced by Reilly during the same period: 0



Hugh
January 1st - 9:52 a.m.

Beavers Calls for Affirmative Action in Taxing & Spending

"It's about who's gonna run the county. It's about jobs, contracts, and power, That's what it's about. Are black folks gonna run it, or are white folks gonna run it?"

"If Todd was white, he wouldn't have half the problems he's got now, let's face it."

-CBS

"This is a remake of the Harold Washington days with the 29-21."

"It's basically dealing with who's going to control the county, white or black. That's all it is. If this was a white man in power right now, they wouldn't be fighting him like this."

-Trib

http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/william.beavers.co......

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/ai_n2......



Hugh
January 3rd - 11:29 a.m.

This statement read by Daley needs to be documented in any thread on Great Chicago Quotes of 2007:

“I did not know about his [son Patrick] involvement in this company [Municipal Sewer Services]. As an adult, he made that decision. It was a lapse of judgement for him to get involved with this company. I wish he hadn’t done it, I know the expectations for elected officials and their families are very high. Rightfully so. Especially for me, as I know on a daily basis. I hope those people understand that Patrick is a very good son. I love him. And Maggie and I are very proud of him. I hope you will respect that I will have nothing more to say on this,”

Asked a few minutes later if he knew whether his son or nephew were involved in any other city contracts, the mayor said,

“I don’t know.”

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/702165,daley......



Hugh
December 28th - 10:14 a.m.

"...a high-ranking department official began more strictly enforcing the rule that student interns actually be students...”

The City Council has $140K/yr worth of "students as trainees." I wonder if they are actual students, or the usual fare of nieces and nephews.

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPort......



Hugh
January 1st - 10:07 a.m.

Winners

Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens

Big business used Daley's First Congressional District Victory Fund to show that they could, in a few days, without breathing hard, raise & spend more campaign cash than Chicago's working folk could in many months of organizing.

http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosur......



Because you asked for it.

Maybe next year

A Chicago TIF will expire, bringing to culmination 24 years of sacrifice and investment by Cook County taxpayers,and immediately a mother lode of new property tax revenues will begin flowing to the schools, the parks, and the County, ushering in a long-promised and long-awaited era of lower tax rates on Chicago homeowners.

Hey I GOT A NEWS FLASH FRANK COCOHEAD RESTORED HIS MESSAGE BOARD. ALL ALONE I THOUGHT HE WAS TOO CHEAP OR SCARED TO HAVE A MESSAGE BOARD. WAIT UNTIL I TELL THE BOYS BACK AT THE WATER DEPARTMENT. GOOD LUCK IN STATE COURT TOO, YOU WILL NEED IT.

Thanks for the plug 11th man.
Also, remeber to vote for the only Anti-Daley critic in the 41stward. When I'm elected I will rip that phony little elf and his son. By the way , his son is still in the US. probably at George Bushs house.

I like Barack Obama. Sometimes I have a habit of getting more suspicious of people the better they do.

One issue I have as an Illinoisan (is that the word?) is that Barack was elected in 2004 and in less than 2 years in as Senator he is running for President. What has Barack Obama really done in the Senate? Has he missed votes?

I keep on hearing that he is not an insider and he is not politics as usual and reform etc.
But his money is bundled from rich power players with interests in various legislation and government action (like the Pritzkers with interests in China) and lots of lawyers and law firms. This money is not just spontaneous donors with no vested interest or interested in reform. Now, this is most politicians but that is the point that Barack Obama is indeed a politician. While in the State Senate in Illinois he never criticized than Senate minority leader and subsequently Majority leader Emil Jones and took (and still takes) money from big industry that at least arguably from Illinois from gas to electricity there have been issues.

I can’t really understand the perception as Barack Obama being an outsider. Ron Paul certainly is an outsider. Dennis Kucinich is an outsider kind of of. Maybe even Huckabee. Obama is really not taking any radical positions or anything against the status qou. His speeches tend to be good stump speeches, and like Reagan he seems to give off the aura of hope. Barack Obama does seem positive certainly. However, he has plenty of ties to big business, rich people that some might consider oligarchs, PACs, lobbyists, lawyers, industry, utilities etc–not that there is anything wrong with this per se but just not that he is an outsider or some big reformer. His positions are fairly mainstream liberal positions.

Barack Obama’s story is interesting and he is certainly an attractive candidate but it is not as compelling as others. Certainly Barack Obama is an attractive man with a beautiful wife and family. Being biracial from a white mother and a black father is popular and even powerful as a symbol today. While he is not the first African American candidate (Shirley Chisolm, Jesse Jackson, Alan Keyes, Al Sharpton) to run for President he is the more popular candidate in the media and the polls and the most or at least more probable candidate. John McCain has a more compelling story being a POW in the Hanoi Hilton and a serious military record. Bill Richardson has negotiated some real high level international deals. Barack Obama has no military record or experience. Rudy Guliani has real legal experience and not some legal briefs for some Tony Rezko real estate deals for low income housing or 1 federal appearance or 4 or 4 known cases including major mafia prosecutions.
Edwards is a major lawyer on the plaintiffs side and has legal experience that dwarfs Obama.
Mitt Romney has major business experience not just some insider real estate deals with Tony Rezko.
However, the story in the Sun Times by Abdon Pallasch on his legal experience demonstrated that he had none. It was not stong and silent but minimal compared to any major lawyer in Chicago or even to Sen Edwards certainly.
He is certainly intelligent with a law degree from Harvard but a Harvard or other Ivy League degree is common in the US Senate. His initial opponent in the 2004 general Jack Ryan had an MBA and a law degree from Harvard and had real experience in the financial industry becoming a partner at Goldman Sachs before he was 40 being involved in major deals that affected the economy. There have been some good exposes about Barack Obama’s community organizing also. He worked for the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) run by Danny Solis (not exactly a paragon of true community organizing nor reform being aligned with major utilities and Mayor Daley) There are conflicting reports about what he did and took credit for on community campaigns. Like his legal resume, his community organizing resume is light. The true positive aspect of Barack Obama has always been hope and potential and not anything he has actually done. Besides being a State Senator, he really has no major life experience or significant accomplishment, certainly not in the law or community organizing.

His outsider and reform rhetoric is further diminished by his ability to raise funds and having key backers from the beginning of his political career and being picked and blessed very early on in by money players and people like Tony Rezko. Obama might not have done anything illegal with Rezko but Obama certainly knew that Rezko was a political operator and was not involved in politics for public policy. The real estate deals again may not be illegal but Obama was involved in them even after the allegations of criminal behavior had been revealed and certainly had been rumored for years. Rezko was also involved in Iraq, with Sultans and missing government officials and failed pipe lines (Rezko being an immigrant from Syria) The Rezko issue goes beyond the current criminal allegations and what else Barack Obama did for Rezko or what he knew about vis a vis his international business.

Barack Obama gives one of the best stump speeches since Reagan. However, he is not a great debator (even Rich Miller pointed this out by re-posting years later the Alan Keyes debates) and is not that good off the cuff.

Obama’s legislative record in the State Senate and the US Senate will be scrutinized and maybe people will not care as many people who did not ideologically agree with Reagan still voted for him. Some so called immigrants rights groups and Hispanics are upset about his support for a wall along the Mexican border. Some abortion groups think he voted against a ban on partial birth abortion. Some veterans are upset he never criticized Durbin over his comments about US soldiers comparing them to worse atrocities and Durbin is ever present with Obama. The entirety of Illinois corruption will be layed to blame at Obama’s feet sometimes fairly but most times not fairly. There has no real discussion on issues and votes of Barack Obama focusing more on the visceral and perceptual aspects of his candidacy.

The media has given Barack Obama a pass up to now and much of the Obamamania nationwide was driven by uncritical front page news stories on Time etc. Obama has yet to be tested by critical news analysis. Here in Chicago Jennifer Hunter fawns over Obama in almost ridiculous quasi journalistic promotion.
It is not unbelievable to say there is some style over substance and cult of personality going on here. I understand what we hope Barack Obama can do (it is like looking into the mirror), but I still don’t know what Barack Obama has done.

And yet your little essay implies what he has done, and what he has not done.

So far, you sound pretty confused.

Or, rather, that you want others to be pretty confused.

Maybe you're both, and neither.

If Barack is nominated the republicians will eat him alive,due to his association with Daley, Tony Rezko and the Illinois combine. Barack helped Rezko with his law partner Allison Davis fraudently acquire slum properties ,with city funds. Allison Davis Barack's law partner and Daley's nephew made a raid on the city pension fund. How could Barack with a straight face go to Kenya and scold their government about corruption,and look at Chicago and Daley. President Harry Truman was a creation of the Kansas city Pendergas Mob. Daley is trying to mold Barack in the same manner Pendergas molded Harry Truman. Carol Marin Video titled Barack & the slumlord.

maybe next year

Although unwavering in his deep conviction that there is absolutely no problem with working as a zoning lobbyist, bundling cash from clients and spreading it around City Hall, while part-time occupying a seat in the state legislature, John Fritchey will come to recognize that perhaps his livelyhood could be mis-used by ruthless political opponents to undermine his carefully constructed public image as Mr. Ethics, and so will re-focus his legal practice into more socially acceptable areas, such as ambulance chasing and divorce.

The Name Game, OBAMAN BAMA BAM FO FAMA BONANNO NANNO FO FAM FEE FI MO MAMA, OBAMA. Barack, Lynn Sweet, Rick Pearson in a simulated threesome of self-gratification, And MAYBE....Chris Matthews & Keith Olbermann.

Obama has tied himself completed to Mayor Daley. David Axelrod, ginzy Pritzer,Fred Barbara,Chris Kozicki,Todd Stroger,Joseph Banks,Taylor street crew,Daley's nephew ,Allison Davis, Terry Peterson.The main man Tony Rekzo. Obama may be Daley's get out of jail card. If Obama is elected he will get rid of Patrick Fitzgerald. fitzgerald. Some of these dreamy idealist supporter are in for a major let down,when they find out Barack is nothling more than another Machine Hack.

Citizens interested in exercising their Right to Vote can find important information here:


http://www.chicagoelections.com/voterinfo/default....

Did you guy see the google video Obama and the slumlord. it is awesome

Maybe Next Year

An alderman out driving will make a wrong turn and get lost and wind up in east Rogers Park. He will be surprised to notice the streets are plowed of snow.

"Hey, wait a sec," he will think to himself. "Isn't this that foie gras guy's ward?"

Turning around through an alley, he will notice that garbage is not piling up.

"Whoa, isn't this that Big Box guy's ward?"

Deep in thought, he eventually finds his way home.

At the next City Council meeting, he struggles to maintain alertness as the customary interminable unanimous votes drone on, uninterrupted by any discussion or dissent. As he struggles to keep his chin off his chest, dark thoughts drift through his semi-conscious mind.

"I paid $300,000 to get this job?"

"This is what my mother raised me to do?"

Finally, out of shear desperation, he thinks "What the heck? What's the worst that could happen?" and, just to give himself something to do to help stay awake, he votes against the next item, which happens to be an honorary street name for a dead church guy. (The measure passes 49-1).

"My god, what have I done?" he wonders, terrified and strangely exhilarated at the same time. Unable to sleep soundly for weeks, he tosses and turns, listening with one ear for the sound of bulldozers sent to carve huge X's in his ward under cover of night, but they don't come. By day, he stares at the phone on his desk, waiting for his assistant to announce, "Mayor Daley on line 1," but the call never comes.

A month later, at the next City Council meeting, he asks to speak for a minute or two before a vote. A hush falls over Council chambers, but his colleagues humor him. In the weeks that follow, his ward does not slide off into Lake Michigan.

Things snowball from there, and the Chicago City Council becomes a real legislature, a deliberative body.

Maybe Next Year

Ben Bradley, Rob Johnson, Mike Flannery, Lourdes Duarte ALL in a unison simulation. NON-STOP.

All politics is local,but our local politicans,our attempting to take their bullshit on the road with the Obama circus. David Axelrod Mayor Daley's main cheerleader,Bill Daley the Mayor's well heeled brother,are some of forces behind Barack.Chicago's corruption has spawned the political creature called Barack Obama.

The MEEEDUHIA WONKS & WONKETTES!!!!!!.

A loan is an issue of Government paper which entails an obligation to pay interest amounting to a percentage of the total sum of the borrowed money. If a loan is at 5%, then in 20 years the Government would have unnecessarily paid out a sum equal to that of the loan in order to cover the percentage. In 40 years it will have paid twice; and in 60 thrice that amount, but the loan will still remain as an unpaid debt.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS HUGH CHARACTER IS SMOKING, TO ASSUME GOVT SHOULD BE FREE.

LYNN SWEET=POLITICAL DOUCHEBAG.

With his welfare checks?????????.

"BRIDGEPORT BOB
January 8th - 11:29 a.m.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS HUGH CHARACTER IS SMOKING, TO ASSUME GOVT SHOULD BE FREE."

Didn't you mean to say 'government contracts'?

Or 'government jobs'?

Or 'government elected offices'?

Your booby-trapped Muslim king, Obama??????. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!.........Republican State's Attorney candidate Tony Nilofar Peraica, You PUBBIES have been HAD!!!!!!!!!!.

Tony Peraica ,as the new Cook County States Attorney ,will go after corruption in the Mayors Office, CTA , Park Dist.,Circuit Court, and City's Law Department .

Tony Peraica is are only hope in Cook County for GOOD GOVERNMENT!

HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT

Hey cocohead !i like things the way they are. Good for whom? Perica can barely read and write, and is unable to get his own party to back him. He couldn't even beat Stroger jr. Perica's last campaign focused on issues unrelated to the goverance of county government. Abortions, Gun control, praying in school, Gay rights. He was all over the board, and Todd was able to paint Peraica as the boogie man. We have two good choices between Allen and Brookins.

11th man ,
Peraica would have balanced the County Budget. HOW ? He would just have to fire all the Daley and Stroger family. Thats a savings of 30% for the taxpayers. So go back in your hole...with the rest of you Daley Creeps.

When I win the Primary. The first thing I will do is hire Todds father as a advisor. That way I can get all the stupid blacks to vite for me. Noonan my white campaign manager will take old man Stroger out of the fridge and have him sogn an endorsement for me.

YAH, THAT'S IT!!!!!. Kiss ass with a GOP Masquerade who marries a Sunni Muslim & Entraps their voters, Who BLINDLY follow him. Peraica would let his veiled sweetheart Jesse Jr turn Chicago into another East St.Louis.

Can YOU SAY "One-Termer"??????????.

A whole lot can be accomplished in one term.

As in a whole lot of crooked politicians getting their long overdue tickets to ride.

Can YOU say plea bargains?

If the controversy ever surfaces against Peraica's spouse & Her potential link to a radical Muslim sect, He's TOAST!!!!, Or POLITICALLY!!!!!!......Dead in the waters.

Aren't you a cutey pie.

"...potential link..." vs verifiable criminal frauds committed by those you support.

I wonder what the voters of Crook County prefer, bullshit allegations, brought by bullshit artists or criminals brought to justice.

Elect Peraica, just to see how many hogs he can send to the pig pen.

Yes you are on the mark. It seems like Daley was trying to cut a new deal with bush. Maybe to keep his son out of jail.Can Daley be fashionably fitted with an orange jumpsuit?

Patrick Mcdoungh for Mayor . He helps city workers,without having a secret agenda. He cares little about media coverage. Please go to chicagoclout.com

You must have been playing hanky-panky with his Muslim wife, Ho-ho!!!!!!!!.

You coward