Monday, April 20, 2009
News / Clout City Rally cry
Posted by Mick Dumke on 04.20.09 at 09:45 PM
As rally cries go, “Greater accountability and transparency in city finances!” doesn’t pack quite the punch of “Hell, no, we won’t go!”
But all of the sudden that’s become the call to arms for a group of activists, community leaders, and aldermen frustrated over Daley administration policies on a range of issues that include the tax increment financing program, the city’s ongoing budget crisis, eroding city service delivery, youth violence, hasty privatization deals, the mayor’s obsession with the Olympics, and the lack of oversight from the City Council.
“I’m so glad to see our aldermen here saying they’ll do their due diligence to help with this financial crisis,” Action Now executive director Denise Dixon said at a press conference / rally outside council chambers earlier today.
In other words, Chicago is in such a state that Dixon was genuinely fired up at the notion that members of the legislative branch would pledge to ask for a few more details about the budget and lease deals—maybe even before they vote to approve them.
And several of the aldermen standing behind her—presumably some of the ones she was referring to—haven’t stood up to the administration publicly over any of its privatization plans or service cuts.
“If I came home one day and found that my husband had sold all my furniture, all of my assets, and then my gas was cut off because he didn't pay the bill after he received the money, that would piss me off,” Dixon said.
Plenty of people out there are pissed off, but they don’t seem to be asking the so-called man of the house what on earth he’s thinking.
Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, one of the few who has dared to wonder if three days is enough time to scrutinize a $1 billion deal, said that city budget officials won’t even provide the council with routine updates about its use of public funds. “Every couple of weeks we get press releases about a growing budget deficit and plans to sit down with the unions to discuss more layoffs,” she said. “We need more information”—such as why the shortfalls exist, what parts of the budget are affected by them, and what exactly is on the table to deal with them.
“In order to make intelligent decisions, we need transparency with city finances,” said Tom Balanoff, the president of the state council of the Service Employees International Union.
No one laughed when he said this; it didn’t even seem like an outrageous request to the aldermen assembled there or to the reporters who cover them. But it’s a far cry from the way business has been conducted by this administration, and the council hasn’t demanded anything different.
As aldermen “we haven’t been exercising our obligation to review these things,” Preckwinkle said in an interview after the rally. “We’re colluding with the administration on our own marginalization.”
Yet there’s still a chance for “repentance,” as one aldermen put it to me recently.
This morning Preckwinkle and several other aldermen called for new hearings on the parking meter lease deal. Tomorrow the council’s finance and economic development committees will take up the TIF sunshine ordinance that was put on hold a few weeks ago out of concerns that citizens might be overwhelmed by information.
And city officials have just announced that the Midway lease deal fell through because the lessor couldn’t come up with the cash. Officials say they’re open to trying again, and if they do, aldermen will have another chance to ask the questions they didn’t before.
But perhaps the most striking part of the event earlier today was that it was organized by Balanoff’s union, which helped elect several would-be reformers to the council in 2007 but spent much of the time since campaigning for Barack Obama. SEIU leaders tell me they’re back, and they’re planning to make financial transparency their next “big box” campaign.
Comments (21)
Showing 1-21 of 21
Oh, hell, I hope it's not a repeat of the big-box campaign. Above all, that didn't actually result in an ordinance, and the ordinance they were promoting fell spectacularly short of fixing the problem they were trying to fix. In a nutshell, it was a loss of political capital in pursuit of something not worth having anyway. Maybe they can do better this time.
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Read Tribunes Dan Milhopoulos Column today(4/21/09). SEIU's Jerry Morrison , Tom Balanoff and CFL's Dennis Gannon bragged how they will rock the city council, after winning some Aldermadic seats in 2007. If you remember , they hired Frank Coconate to get his ideas for a opposition block to Mayor Daley, used him ,than fired him. Coconates plan was to support Pro Union Alderman only if they promised to question all spending by the Mayors Administration. Especially when Mayor Daley complained of Budget Short Falls one day and the next he is spending $500 million dollars on special projects. What the Unions should do is get Frank Coconate to lead them again, only this time ,really listen to him. Coconate is the only person the Daley's are scared of, thats why the continue to bury him. Mr. coconate knows all the secrets of this Adnistration, and the Unions should use his knowledge. Because all the Unions look really foolish right now!
I sorry frank lost his job or jobs. He could have beeen a better team player instead of bad mouthing the union in the media. For an individual who believes in spouting his own narrow views,he tends to believe in a close media. Try to acess his blog,and you will find it closed ,but to invited readers.
Mr. Balanoff, Sometimes YOU believe all the spin. My hearts always in thr right place and that is helping to keep quality jobs in Chicago and Il My mistake was ,I took a strong stand against Mayor Daley and family,because they forgot where they came from. I have been punished since, with NO support from rank and file . The spin is , I was selfish and self centered ? How can that be , when I keep taking all the hits , just because I said to the Mayor " Why do you blame us(Union Workers) for all the short falls, when I can show you where to save money. Than I wanted to endorse candidates that understood what it was to work for a living. So I'm being spun as a ass-hole for that. I like Tom Balanoff, I still think you have a heart,but I could be wrong. I do know Mayor Daley, doesn't or he would have destroyed my kids the way he has done .
Isn't a member of the SEIU allegedly involved in with the Blago scandal? That's all I need in order to ignore SEIU comments. Unless, of course, the SEIU demonstrates some backbone by pressing whatever influence they may have in Council to enact some decent, non-partisan change that benefits the people of Chicago, not just the union members. Until then, bicker amongst yourselves to save face all you'd like, if you must; but, until things start getting done, it's all balloon juice.
1. The SEIU Member April 21st - 7:55 a.m. post is not an SEIU member, but is, in fact, a daley troll, subtly setting up a 3 banger posting. This post sets up, as the apparent encouraging of returning to Frank's political services, the 'counter points' which are to follow. 2. The Tom Balanoff April 21st - 9:22 a.m. post is not Tom Balanoff, but, is, in fact, a daley troll, now responding to his/her own previously fraudulent set up post. 3. The Yo April 21st - 11:52 a.m. post is the 3rd bang to this 3 banger, by a daley troll, to take the focus off of the legitimacy of SEIU's efforts and to, instead, direct the attention of the reader to the daley troll's agendas, those being to minimize the legitimacy of both Frank Coconate and the SEIU, and to further emphasis and promote the differences in opinion between the two. Whatever the many truths may be, concerning Frank Coconate and SEIU, the only truth we, the tax paying voters need to concern ourselves with is this one: Daley and his cronies are crooks, very competent and clever crooks, criminals who have engaged in, are engaging in, and will continue to engage in, the various means by which crooked thieves succeed in their thieving ways. That's the only truth that matters and, as such, that's the only truth that the daley trolls will labor to prevent you, the reader, from focusing on. REGISTER TO VOTE VOTE ON ELECTION DAY HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT
A current article from: http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/ " CLEAR Crashes Again A hiccup in the system loses another truckload of data Monday afternoon. If this is going to become a regular occurrence, please DO NOT mention Huberman's name in regard to the disaster. He'll be demanding a Police Department pension again for the screw-up." And a comment: "Yup, right around noon. Another citywide crash, what a mess of a system. At least there were paper arrest reports and inventory books nearby from the last crash. The authorization to use them never came. The system came back up too soon. How come none of this has been reported yet? Fran, Frank, Angela, pay attention. The ENTIRE city arrest and inventory processing system crashed over the weekend for over 24 hours, creating one great clusterfuck. Prisoners couldn't be cleared or released. Rights were violated. Grounds for lawsuits were created. The 'state of the art' system of computers for the Chicago Police Department showed us just how vulnerable we are to any type of malicious attack. Why don't the reporters report on this? You all have sources, get on the phones. 4/21/2009 06:23:00 AM" The daley machine's chickens are coming home to roost. Cock-a-Doodle-Doooooooo!!!!!
The city made 126 million in the airport non-deal. We should keep "trying" to sell the airport.
Would someone fix SCC's computer for him? This way there will be no need for a press conference.
SSC I am glad you are heeding to my advice,by putting a cap on it. you soon see how much people care for your pronouncements,and rants. My friend Frank Coconate,you definitely are not a supporter of diverse opinions,and freedom of speech. Your Blog is fit for a dictator,you run from advice and criticism. "Only invited readers" To bad your hero Jesse jackass Junior or the Undercover Brother turned to shit.
A1 ..., You may be right about the first two bangs, but your claim to my being complicit in the bang is silly. I think that both the SEIU and Chicago politicians are self-serving jokes (that is, if it's possible to separate the two). The rest of your comment falls under the category of "tru dat"
Oh, and a little note to SEIU types and any claim to TIF transparency: Did, or did not, the SEIU campaign in the 46th ward on a referendum regarding Wilson Yard and the desire to use local labor? Hasn't the SEIU consistently misrepresented the entire Wilson Yard topic? Answer to both: yes. Again, how are the SEIU and Chicago city government any different from one another?
"Again, how are the SEIU and Chicago city government any different from one another?" Here's the thing: Whatever the commonalities, either in mentality, financial interests, strategies, personalities, philosophies, attitudes, etc., that one observes in any person, business entity, political organization, etc., the one commonality we, as taxpayers, all should recognize is the propensity, of those who are political thieves, to divide and conquer. Anything that permits them to achieve that goal is bad for we taxpayers. Anything. So, as long as thinking citizens continue to allow themselves to dwell on the things that divide their united opposition to the daley criminal enterprises, that will be as long as the daley criminal enterprises continue to succeed. The thing to remember is this: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
"Skroo U 2 April 21st - 12:57 p.m. Would someone fix SCC's computer for him? This way there will be no need for a press conference." Uh, CLEAR is the CPD computer system; you know, that patchwork piece of shit system we got stuck with, courtesy of the midget's combination of incompetence and greed for bribes and kickbacks. But you know that, don't you, shithead?
"The thing to remember is this: The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Evil is as evil does. I understand the point of combining forces to defeat the over-arcing villains; however, there's also that "guilt by association" gig to contend with, as well. Point being: screw the clouted. I would not bed down with SEIU, nor bend to their whims, simply to defeat Daley. Any politician who abides by that then becomes a puppet of those who supported them. All that will produce is the same pervert; but in a different rain coat. Tax payers need to fundamentally rethink how they fit into this democracy, what they expect from their "elected" officials and prevent the perverts from getting it. To quote an awful Batman movie: "This town needs an enema". ... in a very serious way.
Russ talks about Brian G. Doherty the current Alderman. The video is about the Chicago city consel and the 41 st ward race, enjoy www.chicagoclout.com
Here's the interesting thing about politics: only those who plan on being lifelong career politicians care about keeping the promises they make, to other politicians, to gain their support. Even term limits don't really impede those determined to make a lifelong career out of elected office, since, much like in the game of musical chairs, there are many elected offices available for the career politician to choose from. Legislative, Executive and Judicial, the career politician has a potentially endless series of taxpayer financed employment, even with term limits. And that doesn't even figure into their calculations as to the many, many appointed, hired or contracted means which are available for them to milk the taxpayers throughout their lifetimes. What the citizens need are individuals who do not desire their lives to consist of a series of taxpayer financed employments, either elected, appointed, hired or contracted. What the citizens need is for the original intentions of our founding fathers to be understood, and imposed upon, those we choose to honestly represent our collective, and common, interests, via our representative democracy. That original intent being for those elected as representatives of the public to be only a temporary, true service and sacrifice experience, with those elected returning to their private lives, their private careers, their private activities, once they sacrificed some number of the years of their lives actually serving the public interests. Our present condition is the result of the citizens failing to use their brains to understand that professional, lifelong career politicians are the root cause of all of our government based problems. What we citizens must embrace is to first reject the commonly held belief that only experienced politicians are fit to be elected as our representatives, and that, in fact, experienced politicians are the least capable of honestly serving the interests of the citizens as a whole. Even a casual review of our history will reveal that the most asinine, harmful and wasteful behaviors, by governments, imposed upon the citizens, have been predominantly engaged in by the very professional, career politicians who reliably lie through their teeth and blame every problem on anyone other than themselves. Now, given our current condition, that being that our governments, and the political processes which determine the individuals who are our governments, are so thoroughly dominated and controlled by said professional, lifelong career politicians, we are stuck with having to use those political animals who are the lessor of evils, yet still, in their own minds, ambitious enough to challenge those greater evils, to displace, from their positions of power, which they are so adept at abusing, those greater evil individuals. This doesn't mean that we accept merely the changing of faces, but, instead, means that, since the electorate has yet to prove that they want truly honest individuals as their elected representatives, and, since the electorate has yet to prove that they possess the common intelligence to know the difference between a lie and the truth, and cast their votes accordingly, and, since the electorate has yet to prove that they care enough about being represented honestly, intelligently and wisely, to exert the efforts necessary to determine who the liars are and who the tellers of truth are, it isn't likely to be effective, this calling for the citizens to suddenly become the intelligent, honest, dedicated and determined force for real change that some think is the only way to bring about that change. To put it simply, you're going to have a very long wait ahead of you, if you insist upon depending upon the integrity, intelligence and honesty based decision making abilities of the voters. Because, things wouldn't be this bad if the electorate hadn't been so reliably, and easily, fooled. And the individuals who are the most accomplished at fooling 'just enough of the people, at just the right time' are those individuals who you are so vehemently opposed to working with. Unless you've developed some magic potion, that can, somehow, cause the taxpaying electorate to 'rethink how they fit into this democracy', what you're stuck with is the fact that the non-taxpaying electorate already know how they fit into this democracy, ie., they fit in by reelecting whoever will take dollars from the pockets of those who work and place a small portion of same into their non-working paws. If the non-working, non-taxpaying citizens really wanted to work for what they receive, they'd want to elect representatives who would use the monies collected in taxes, from those who are working, to create real jobs for those who are not. What actually prevents our elected representatives from using some of our tax dollars to finance the restoration of our decimated manufacturing industries? Besides the fact that they actually want a large number of the electorate unemployed, and, thus, dependent upon the government for their meager portions of daily bread? It's a complicated web that has been woven, involving economic, social, and perceptional factors, all geared towards the gaining and maintaining of control, by a small minority, over a large majority, that large majority being both those citizens who work and those who can't, because there are few jobs that pay enough to live on. And simplified, dumbed down answers are what the electorate seems to prefer. Are you, 'Yo', one of those citizens who prefer the simple minded to the complex?
C'mon Dumke! You list all the privatization schemes but ignore the privatization of public education. Why? Are you supporting the vilification of public schools, students, and teachers?
"Are you, 'Yo', one of those citizens who prefer the simple minded to the complex?" Not at all. You may be hearing something to that effect a little more publicly, soon. Oh, and I couldn't agree more with your overall statement. Nail/head complex in full.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and for your courteous assessment of it. The thing is, it's not rocket science, it really isn't. It just takes a citizen using their eyes and ears, and thinking about what they see and hear. And, of course, the absence of an allergic reaction to the truth. For all the good that the Reader seems to be willing to publish, concerning that truth, what the average citizen really needs is to be smacked upside their head with the truth in plain English. As in, publishing a map specifying each and every TIF's geographical area, the current total amount of tax dollars, (approximating if necessary), being skimmed off of that area's property tax take, from the year of the TIF'S inception to date, the total amount of TIF dollars for each area already expended, the 'projects' upon which each dollar was spent, the current remaining balance of each TIF area's account, and the specific entities who received said dollars. All of the above must be substantially public knowledge, as in available via FOI requests. If said requests have been made and have yet to be responded to, publish the names of all employees who've failed to comply with the law. Put in written complaints of said failures to each and every relevant alderperson, and, if no response, publish their names. Interview every self proclaimed community activist in these TIF areas and ask them what specific benefit(s) has the TIF gained for your community? Publish all names of these self proclaimed community representatives who refuse to submit to questioning. Publish the interviews of all who do, quoting them word for word when they answer the relevant and on point questions. The Chicago Reader may end up being the only printed paper left, so why not roll the dice and be, in the truest sense, a paper worth reading, a paper not afraid to find the truth and print all of it, not merely imply most of it?
