Tuesday, October 21, 2008
News / Clout City Alternatives?
Posted by Mick Dumke on Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 12:25 PM
Not surprisingly, Mayor Daley’s proposals to lay off employees and reduce some city services—from trash pickup around the holidays to public health programming, community policing, and free jumping jacks—have been about as popular as Muslims at a McCain rally. The dire consequences of these cuts have made daily headlines.
So far, though, critics haven’t offered many concrete counterproposals—I’ve heard some talk about dipping into TIF funds, renegotiating some expensive contracts, reducing management-level staffing instead of front-line workers, and other “efficiencies” that arguably should have been considered to save taxpayers’ money well before the city’s deficit bulged to nearly $500 million.
It may not change the debate this year, but union leaders and some aldermen are getting louder in their charges that the city’s entire financing and budgetary process is broken—and at least as much to blame for the fix we’re in as downturns in the economy. Since the only set of budgetary data comes from a single source—an office whose employees report to the mayor—some critics say they’re not even sure they can accept the city’s deficit estimates.
“We don’t know the scope,” says Anders Lindall, a spokesman for AFSCME Council 31, which represents about 5,000 city workers. “The city claims it’s about $200 million this year and $300 million next—but we can’t say that’s the case. There’s not an open question that the city has a budget problem. But there’s a lack of transparency, a lack of openness. You have to rely on the mayor’s people to get an accounting. There’s not a lot of independent information we think you have to have to come up with solutions.”
Last year a few aldermen grumbled about the need for an independent office to scrutinize city business, something on the par of the GAO at the federal level. But nothing’s come of it, and there's obviously not time to get anything in place for this year. The city projects its budget problems will continue for the next three or four years, at least, though that still doesn't mean the process will change—even supporters seem hesitant to lobby for creating a new government office at a time when the city’s strapped for cash, though the alternative appears increasingly inadequate: aldermen, most with little history of independence, have a few days to try to analyze hundreds of pages of line-item spending and revenue recommendations without any comprehensive alternatives. And during this time they’re still supposed to be taking care of the regular business in their wards.
“But it’s not just the issue of having the time and resources to do this,” says Third Ward alderman Pat Dowell. “We’ve got to have the will.”
Comments (12)
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" ... union leaders and some aldermen are getting louder in their charges that the city’s entire financing and budgetary process is broken ... " oh, ya think?
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" ... an independent office to scrutinize city business ... even supporters seem hesitant to lobby for creating a new government office ... " new govt? the City Council Budget committee has a half mil a year budget for 2008 wtf are they doing all year? see p. 24 http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/2008_0100-Corporate_Fund_1.pdf
There was a lenghty discussion about this a year ago when it was said that Carrie Austin was not suited for the job as budget committee chairman http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/politics/2007/03/26/please-mr-mayor-let-me-be-your-rubber-stamp/
hugh seems to whine a lot. Why not run for office? By law da Mayor determines the budget and presents it to da Council for review and vote, just like every other government.
"By law da Mayor determines the budget and presents it to da Council ... " what law? cite your source
2-4-010 Appointment powers and duties. The mayor shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the city council, all officers of the city whose appointment is not otherwise provided by the laws of this state or the provisions of this code. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in any office which by law he is empowered to fill, the mayor shall, within 30 days after the occurrence of such vacancy, communicate to the city council the name of his appointee to such office. (Prior code § 3-1) 2-4-020 Supervisory authority – Administrative officer appointment, powers and duties. The mayor shall supervise the conduct of all the officers of the city, and, as to all who are exempt from the provisions of the civil service act, he shall examine the grounds of all reasonable complaints made against any of them and cause their violation of duty and other offenses, if any, to be promptly punished. The mayor shall appoint, with the consent of the city council, an officer to be known as the mayor’s administrative officer who shall serve at the pleasure of the mayor. Such officer shall have had at least five years experience in responsible government or private administrative positions as shall qualify him for the duties of the office. The mayor’s administrative officer, subject to the direction and control of the mayor, shall supervise the administrative management of all city departments, boards, commissions and other city agencies established by this code and the laws of this state. In addition to such supervisory power, the mayor’s administrative officer may, in respect to any or all agencies under his supervision, establish reporting procedures, require the submission of progress reports, provide for the coordination of the activities of such agencies, and shall perform such other administrative and executive functions as may be delegated by the mayor. He shall make periodic reports with such recommendations as he deems appropriate to the mayor concerning the administrative management of all departments, boards, commissions and agencies of the city. If the mayor’s administrative officer is dismissed, he may, within 30 days thereafter, report his objections to the dismissal in writing to the city council, which report shall be printed in the journal of proceedings of the city council for the meeting at which such report is submitted to the city council. (Prior code § 3-2) 2-4-030 Ordinance enforcement authority. The mayor, in addition to the duties, powers and functions vested in him by statute as the chief executive officer of the city and those specifically vested in him by the provisions of this code, shall have authority to act, or to designate the officer who shall act, in the enforcement of any ordinance of the city in all cases where an ordinance fails to specify the officer who shall be charged with the duty of enforcement.
The essential problem we've experienced, here, in the Land of Lincoln, has been the difficulty in ousting Incumbents, as in the voting public overcoming the advantages that Incumbents have. Those advantages are: 1. Name recognition 2. Party backing 3. Apparent invincibility 4. Ample campaign financing 5. Prejudiced, in the Incumbents' favor, Board of Elections rulings 6. Excessively difficult nominating requirements for Challenger Candidates 7. Fraudulent election practices perpetrated by the dominate political party 8. The intentional promotion, by the dominant political party, of the emotions of apathy, sloth, resignation and futility in the hearts and minds of the electorate 9. An egregious willingness to lie to said electorate 10. A multiplicity of skills relevant to manipulating, by a variety of means, the minds of the electorate, as in 'fooling just the right number of people, at just the right time', that right time being election day To render impotent these advantages, the electorate will have to revise their perspective on how to cast their individual votes. I suggest the following: 1. Resolve to cast your vote with the purpose in mind of Ousting the Incumbents. Since the problems the citizens are experiencing are the direct result of either the failures of those Incumbents, or the deliberate actions of same, it stands to reason that removing these Incumbents will, while not guaranteed to solve all problems, certainly will improve the chances of their being solved. 2. Determine a simple, yet mathematically effective, method to deny Incumbents either: a) nomination as their party's candidate in the General Election, via the Incumbents' loss in their respective party's Primary Election OR, should the Incumbent win in their respective party's Primary, b) a victory in the General Election 3. That 'simple, yet mathematically effective, method' is as follows: 1st: identify the Incumbent. 2nd: Locate the Incumbents' name on the ballot. 3rd: If the Incumbents' name is listed FIRST, then cast your vote for whichever Challenger Candidate's name is listed LAST OR If the Incumbents' name is NOT LISTED FIRST, then cast your vote for whichever Challenger's name IS LISTED FIRST Applying this method will, whether used in the Primary Election of either dominant party, or in the General Election, focus the greatest number of votes being cast for a SINGLE Challenger, thus increasing the likelihood of the Incumbent losing. To break the stranglehold which the dominant political party has had, over the electorate's pocketbooks, via their power to tax, and over the electorate's day to day living conditions, which the dominant political party has had, via their power to make, enforce, interpret and adjudicate laws, the citizens have to resolve to deny reelection to the Incumbent office holders. REGISTER TO VOTE VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT
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