Posted on 05/04/2005 3:00:51 PM PDT by Southside_Chicago_Republican
CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said Wednesday that new disclosures of corruption in city government, including allegations that payoff money found its way into his campaign fund, have left him "hurt, embarrassed, disappointed."
"Clearly, I'm not proud or pleased," Daley told a news conference, his first since a former city water official pleaded guilty to taking payoffs from trucking companies and said some of the money went to campaign funds, including Daley's.
It was the first time Daley's name surfaced in the yearlong investigation of the city's corruption-riddled, $38 million Hired Truck Program, which outsourced work to private trucking companies, some with mob ties.
Daley has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but said federal prosecutors had asked him not to go into detail about the ongoing investigation. In the past week, federal agents have carted off documents from several agencies in City Hall.
A number of city officials, including the former head of the Hired Truck Program, have already pleaded guilty to corruption charges. Others are awaiting trial.
Daley said it was important to "build on the reforms that were put into place after the first evidence of wrongdoing." Among other things, Daley has barred contractors who do business with the city from contributing to his campaign fund.
In his plea agreement Monday, former water official Gerald Wesolowski said "city officials" directed payoff money from the Hired Truck Program into various campaign funds. Daley said if any of that money reached his campaign, he is considering returning it.
When asked which city officials may have directed the money, however, Daley ended the news conference, saying: "Everybody supported my campaign. Everybody knows that. I won last time with 80 percent" of the vote.
The noose is tightening though. Patrick Fitzgerald is one heck of a US Attorney. Best thing we have in Chicago.
Daley isn't as embarrassed as many of us are that he's the mayor.
"Patrick Fitzgerald is one heck of a US Attorney."
That Time article was a bad joke.
I think Bloomberg was the only republican listed, and to top that off, there has been some controversy over the committee that voted.
It seems some of these "urban experts" also advise several mayors (including bloomberg) and do consulting work.
NY Newsday and the NY Post and the NY Daily News have printed pot shots taken back and forth (in small little "blink and you'll miss it") type stories.
I'd bet my left hand that the mayors who are voted "the best" were all people they advised or helped or consulted, and the ones listed bad were either guys who didn't, or who just ignored them or stiffed them or treated them badly.
ROFLMAO!!!! Thanks, I needed a good laugh today!
I heard that only 1 Chicago television station covered this story. I noticed the tribune and the sun times are hardly saying anything ( at least today anyway). That's scary.
So what has changed except for the passing of Daley Sr, and of course Len O'Conner, the mayors nemesis from the Sun Times.
And how many voted from the graveyard? Daley has to be deeply involved in all of the corruption but no doubt has covered his tracks well.
The Trib has a great columnist, John Kass, whose been on this story from the beginning.
He's an editorial writer? This should be on the front page. Why is nothing done about the corruption in chicago? Why does everybody just snicker like, oh well, that's chicago. Since the mayor of chicago keeps trying to influence state politics, maybe the office of Mayor of Chicago should be elected by the whole state, since the people of chicago don't seem to care.
I hope you guys can break that crowd up, good luck.
John Kass has a terrific column in the Trib today about the press conference.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0505050241may05,1,7076666.column?coll=chi-homepagenews2-utl
"Washington DC is the absolute TOP, then NYC, then Chicago, then ....."
I forgot about District of Corruption. Thanks!
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