Report: Patronage problems persist in Cook County (Chicago way-surprise, surprise, surprise)

Chicago Tribune/ChicagoBreakingNews ^ | 9-14-09

[STARWISE]

The federal monitor over Cook County government hiring issued a progress report on patronage problems today --

*snip*

Some workers for the county are actively undermining efforts to take politics out of personnel practices.

Read the report here.

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"The legal premise underlying the decrees entered in this case is this: the County may not condition hiring, promotions, transfers, or discharge of county employees upon political belief or affiliation unless political beliefs or affiliations are important to carrying out the duties of the particular position.

Political considerations are important in deciding who will hold positions that involve making and implementing policy consistent with the President’s political agenda and positions that involve access to confidential information important in implementing that agenda. Such positions are considered ‘exempt.’ They are included on a list called the ‘exempt list,’ and the President must be able to consider politics in choosing who will hold those positions.

But most County jobs do not have those attributes, and for positions that are not on the list (‘non-exempt’), employment decisions may not be based upon political considerations – period."

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If only this White House/Czars/Federal agencies had such oversight.

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~~PING!

[Bahbah]

Shocking headline.

Can it be true.

LOL.

[STARWISE]

I’m shocked and even more puzzled by this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF4NyozF-O8

~~~

Culture of corruption: Blago’s dead fundraiser and Team Obama

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/14/culture-of-corruption-blagos-dead-fundraiser-and-team-obama/

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You know about Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

But have you ever played Six Degrees of Roddy Blago?

Take any Blago corruption story, and you can link it to Team Obama in six easy steps or less.

Watch.

Over the weekend, Rod Blagojevich’s former chief fundraiser, Christopher Kelly, died after his girlfriend found him over his car wheel in a lumberyard.

Kelly was about to check in to the Graybar Hotel before his death:

*snip*

The Chicago Tribune profiled Kelly after his indictment here. Kelly served as part of Blago’s wheeler-dealer Kitchen Cabinet along with convicted fraudster Tony Rezko.

Rezko had loaned money to his business partner and fellow Blago confidante Kelly, who had schemed to evade the IRS by using ill-gotten gains to pay off his massive debts:

*snip*

Rezko, of course, served as an ardent fund-raiser for Saint Obama and cooked up his sweetheart real estate trade in Chicago, land of coincidences.

And that’s not all. As I recount in Culture of Corruption, now-Attorney General Eric Holder signed up to assist Blago in a casino license battle in 2004. The state’s gaming board had approved the construction of a disputed casino, overruling the recommendation of the board’s staff. Rank-and-file investigators had qualms over the casino developer’s alleged mob ties and over Blago’s appointment of a crony fund-raiser to oversee the state’s deal-making with the casino. The fund-raiser was…

…Christopher Kelly.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Rezko “held an option to lease a hotel site next to the proposed casino site.” Holder held a public press conference with Blago to announce his role as a special “independent” investigator into the matter. The dog-and-pony show produced no report, but Holder and his law firm had contracted to conduct the probe for a tidy $300,000. Somehow, the foul-smelling case slipped Holder’s mind; he failed to mention it in his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

I’m reminded of the diagnosis from one of Obama’s hometown observers, who told ABC News in February 2008:

“We have a sick political culture,” said Jay Stewart, the executive director of the Chicago Better Government Association, “and that’s the environment that Barack Obama came from. Stewart says he does not understand why Obama has lectured others about corruption in Washington and Kenya but “been noticeably silent on the issue of corruption here in his home state, including at this point, mostly Democratic politicians.”

The corrupt Chicago way is always just a hop, skip, and jump away.

[Bahbah]

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, NOTHING TO SEE HERE!

[USNBandit]

From another sourceKelly, a roofing contractor from Chicago's southern suburbs, had already pleaded guilty to $1.3 million in tax fraud....

So sad to see somebody with such potential struck down in the prime of life. Looks like he was qualified for a high level job at Treasury or Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

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....check mark indicates people who have been chosen to be part of the Obama administration or transition team.

INTERACTIVE POWER POINTS: Who's who in Chicago Business -- DOUBLE CLICK EACH ICON TO SEE THE CONNECTIONS OPEN UP

Notice how you don't see UNION = the consigliore of all business, political and financial pursuit.

[penelopesire]

“If only this White House/Czars/Federal agencies had such oversight.”

This isn’t true oversight imho..it’s window dressing the Chicago Way. They left themselves a huge ‘loophole’ in which to continue their pay to play practices....demonstrated by the line you wisely highlighted. I sure would like to see the ‘except’ lists...lol.

Thanks for the ping. Loved the YouTube video with the Godfather music...lol!

[STARWISE]

LOL .. and probably more truth than not.

Kelly had to have been tormented. God rest
his soul and comfort his grieving family.

Several IL and Chicago bloggers and their
posters are disgusted and steamed at the
extraordinarily excessive pressure Fitzie
was applying to him.

More than a few IL and Chicago blogs are
spitting stunned and outraged at the completely
unprofessional presser by the the idiot jerk
mayor .. showing the witnesses personal info,
etc..

http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2009/09/14/dear-mayor-welch-please-stop/

And a Chicago cops blog is loaded with comments
totally dissing and laughing at the mayor’s
choice of Police Chief (with him in this video),
who apparently used to be a Chicago policewoman.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=69023c64-8ef6-4712-bf8d-5b250fe54c9d&cat=empty&src=front&title=Unedited

I still say Blago’s might just walk ...

[hoosiermama]

Thought I heard of FOX that the Senate has voted not to fund ACORN....83-??..DID I hear correctly.

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Yahoo .. looks like it .. in the Breaking News column .. Johanns bill.

[fortunecookie]

What a tangled web. And they seem to like it as it is, business as 'usual'.

The fund-raiser was… …Christopher Kelly.

Sort of a marked man, considering the problems he could cause. Of course the patronage problems persist. Hard to imagine it will change anytime soon.

[Bahbah]

Yes. Just the beginning though. Her hideousness who runs the House will try to keep them from voting. And if they can get a vote, there is the conference committee where they will try to get it taken out.

This is a long road.