Wednesday, December 19, 2007
News / Clout City Problem? What problem?
Posted by Mick Dumke on Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 5:29 PM
Alderman Walter Burnett (27th Ward) agrees with the city’s court-appointed monitor that something’s amiss with City Hall's employment practices. He just has a different take on what it is and who’s responsible for it. “One of the things I’m concerned about is the monitor being able to secure a job for themselves,” Burnett said Wednesday. “As long as they’re here, they’re getting paid. If they don’t find anything wrong, they won’t get any money. Why wouldn’t they keep it going?”
No one else had the guts (or gall) to say it as bluntly as Burnett, but several other aldermen attending a committee meeting this afternoon reacted similarly to the news that monitor Noelle Brennan, appointed by a federal judge to chart the city’s compliance with bans on political hiring and firing, continues to find examples of patronage, fixed job interviewing and test taking, and “temporary” hires that last months or years. The general consensus was that Brennan is making patronage mountains out of the molehills of innocent favors and minor bureaucratic mistakes.
“I’m not too happy with the monitor,” said one alderman, hastily adding that he didn't want to be identified.
Of course, some aldermen said they hadn’t read the report yet. They should. The complete document is supposed to be available at shakmanmonitor.com soon, but in the meantime here's some of the dirt:
- Before the end of 2006, the city didn’t have any “objective measure of skill” included in its procedures for hiring foremen for trade positions. In other words, there were no tests to measure how good the candidates were at their trades. Part of a new test introduced this year includes skill questions that require short answers. But the grading process has been so subjective that in some cases “one scorer will have a candidate passing the test, but another scorer will fail the same candidate.” The city is supposed to be working on changes.
- In March the Department of Planning and Development began working to hire a new senior research assistant. A representative from Brennan’s office sat in on some of the interviews and determined that the questions and answers suggested “potential pre-selection” of the person who ended up being offered the job. The monitor investigated further before concluding that the favored candidate had been a student intern in the department for three years, until top department officials “began more strictly enforcing the rule that student interns actually be students.” The intern had to leave the job because he hadn’t been a student for a year. But at just that time, the department decided to “outsource” the position to a private company—which hired the former intern and gave him the same duties he’d had before. “During his transition from a City ‘student’ intern to an employee of the outside contractor, the individual in question never left his duties or his desk at Planning.”
- In late 2005 the Department of Fleet Management sought to hire a pair of equipment dispatchers. Two department employees were targeted for the positions, but they didn’t have the year of experience required. So both were named “acting” equipment dispatchers and the formal hiring process was halted. A year later, when these candidates had gained the required experience, the positions were posted as open again. But human resources officials didn’t put the two employees on their candidate list, so the hiring process was stopped once more. Finally, late last year, fleet management started the process again. This time the two preferred candidates were tapped for the jobs “despite being the least senior or all the candidates who bid for the title,” and a deputy commissioner of fleet management “was involved in the manipulation.” Brennan’s office forwarded this information to the Inspector General’s Office for a full investigation.
- In January a deputy commissioner of the Department of Transportation sent an e-mail naming four people she planned to hire to fill department openings—before any of the jobs were posted or interviews had been conducted. She told an investigator from Brennan’s office that “she had, in effect, ‘promised’ these positions to the candidates she intended to select.” The city suspended the deputy commissioner for a week.
- For the last several years the Department of Aviation has circumvented the official hiring process for several openings by bypassing better qualified candidates in favor of other employees who were simply promoted to the new posts on an indefinite “acting” basis. The promoted workers had appeared on the “clout list ” [PDF] of politically sponsored job-seekers introduced in the federal trial of Robert Sorich, Daley’s patronage chief. The city has pledged to start the hiring process again from scratch.
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Let's Get this over right away so we don't have to see it a hundred times. REGISTER TO VOTE VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT When given the chance, vote for any independent candidate.
Until the City of Chicago turns into the US Post Office! The majority of you complain about mail, right? Just wait.
BURNETT STILL HAS CRIMINAL TENDENCIES,AFTER SPENDING TIME IN THE JOINT. Also how about all the slum properties he owns,on the Westside and get breaks by the city Building Department.
Following are my favorite lines from the comments section on the clout list. "is in sewers; wants to go" (wouldn't you?) "TERM. wants to go back and be transferred." (awesome, that's the spirit!) "Not sure what signed up for." (hmmmmm.....) And three of the comments "Has Crimminal background" (one does not say what for or when) (assault, 1987) (armed robbery 1972)
We get everything. Jobs , Contracts, and services. The rest of you stupid idiots get nothing! Thats the way it is until you start fighting back like Coconutty!
Thank you for your co-operation. HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT Just Do It.
We must thank Patrick McDonough who exposes all this many years ago. I hope you understand the list is not complete because the Inspector General is still investigating numerous complaints. Again, thanks to Patrick McDonough, the Whistleblower of Hired Trucks and the Hiring Scandal. Chicago Clout must continue to be investigated.
Walter Burnett robbed a bank. Burnett gets breaks in front of certain judges in Circuit Court for building. First, Walter kicked his own people out of the ward to make way for rich white people. THANK, he has properties that are not up to code. Getting rich the Chicago way.
Please don't forget the buffone Isaac Carothers and him pistol whipping an opposition worker named butch campbell,and letting his brother go to jail for the crime.
Should that be investigated?? Or do what you say, not what you do . Rules are rules. So when you break them. You must be punsihed. Noelle Brennan,should also investigate the Human Resource Board. People break the rules and get back on as plumbers.
Mick, Noelle, to understand the system better, should look at the managers running the City Departments. Look at Water, Streets and San,Aviation and Transportation. The people in charge are Political Hacks , with no expierence in the Department they work. They usually depend on some 15-25year vet with NO clout to help them run the Department. When Noelle gets done with City departments, she should look at the CTA. To find the problem at CTA, look no further than the Managers in charge. They have NO expierence in people moving! They can start with Ronnie "WO WOO in the COOL" Huberman. What does he know about driving a bus or train? All he knows about is the best deals at a spa!
They caught Loconate doing nothing and fired him. Pestka exposed corruption at the Water Department and got fired. We must learn to love and respect and give hugs... Want a HUG? Mayor Daley is a Hero, not a Zero. Nice Radio Show, I missed it again.
"Rules are rules. So when you break them. You must be punished." I believe you are referring to Patrick Daley. Right? And to his "I know nothing..... NOTHING!!!" father. Right?
YOU AND YOUR MAYOR DALEY ARE TURDS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER
HEY GUY LEAVE RON "THE BUTTERFLY" HUBERMAN ALONE.
“One of the things I’m concerned about is the monitor being able to secure a job for themselves,†Burnett said Wednesday. “As long as they’re here, they’re getting paid. If they don’t find anything wrong, they won’t get any money. Why wouldn’t they keep it going?†Spoken like a natural born scam artist. Why would anyone ever conduct their business or employment duties with anything other than their own interests in mind? Why would anyone ever do their jobs so well as to eliminate the need for their jobs? According to Burnett's mentality, no contractor will ever complete a job, for fear of no longer having a job to complete. Sounds like Burnett is applying his philosophy to his own aldermanic duties.
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_12-18-07.pdf
What bunch of clap trap from this so-called cu*t of a woman. This report sounds like she needs to get laid. No one asks her how SHE got her job. She was Judge Andersens' little law clerk/quewpie doll while she was in law school so I guess the stuff about interns hits home for her. Furthermore Judge Andersen, who appointed her monitor, got his own start via patronage in Knox County clerk's office. So the pot is calling the kettle black. Also, pretty bush league for the monitor to give the report to the media before giving it to the City or even posting on her own website. She is in the self preservation business. That is the only way she is able to afford to move her offices from the dreg on Plymouth Court to a more toney location on Clark street.
"This report sounds like she needs to get laid." Surely not by you, oreo, as you don't think anyone who knows you could ever believe you're up to that particular task, regardless of the gender in question. "So the pot is calling the kettle black." Maybe so, but, who better to recognize a piece of patronage shit than one who's been a piece of patronage shit? After all, you do recognize your kind when you 'bump' into them, don't you? And, as the saying goes, "It takes a Thief to catch a Thief." "....pretty bush league for the monitor to give the report to the media before giving it to the City or even posting on her own website." Don't you like it, that the public will have this information? Or were you hoping the 'city' would get a chance, at working up their usual bullshit 'response' to bad news, first? "She is in the self preservation business." So, all you clout monkey shits need to do, to put her out of business, is to stop being yourselves, stop doing what you do and, thus, eliminate the need for the oversight that provides 'her' with so very much to do. That would, of course, mean eliminating yourselves. Bye Bye.
That list seems like it would a good start as a list of people who CANNOT be hired in Illinois for any public service job.
"That list seems like it would a good start as a list of people who CANNOT be hired in Illinois for any public service job." Right. This would, of course, require that those who make the hiring decisions not be the same persons who have been making the hiring decisions. And that would require that those who have hired those who have been making the hiring decisions not be in the positions of authority that has enabled the hiring of those who have hired the individuals on said list. HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT
Believe me, everyone in the City knows that residents of the 8th, 11th, 19th and 23rd Wards get all the City jobs and contracts. City work is done so badly and City contracts are carried out so incompetently that only the drooling hacks from those wards could be doing it.
"...drooling hacks..." That's a good one. I'll have to add that one to my long list of accurate descriptions of the breed.
Did Noelle Brennan out someone close to Orion? Perhaps a fellow coffee fetcher? Get used to it.
We will put up with the skank for a while, and like the other goo-goos, she'll be gone and things will get back to normal.
Come out and PLAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!
If Daley had a clue about ethics Chicago would not have to pay for Brennan. Daley and complicit aldermen have only themselves to blame. They got greedy and now it's biting them in the ass. Serves them well.
Daley, and his ilk, know the rules very well. They couldn't be so successful at breaking the rules, without getting caught, if they didn't. Even these guys don't dare to eliminate the rules entirely, as having rules, to not get caught at breaking, is how they've been able to appear to be following them. And we seem to be buying into this, obvious to some, scam. At least we can be proud of the fact that we've got really talented crooks. Civic pride at it's finest.
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