Wednesday, October 15, 2008
News / Clout City Man With a Plan
Posted by Mick Dumke on Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Here’s the good news: Mayor Daley believes that, with your help and a few dozen aye votes from the City Council, he can keep Chicago moving forward.
Here’s the bad news: Because of the imploding economy, not even staff cuts, new taxes and fee increases, reduced services, and additional leasing of public assets—and, if you can believe it, not even a doubling of library fines—are likely to fix the city’s budget problems. Even in the best circumstances, city officials project deficits of at least $200 million a year through 2012.
That, in essence, was the message of the mayor’s annual budget address, delivered to an overflow crowd in council chambers Wednesday morning. It prompted a standing ovation.
"I have confidence that over the long term American’s economy will rebound," Daley said. "It may take time, but we’ll get there. Until then, like every family, we must continue to manage our city budget with a slow economy in mind."
To that end, the mayor proposed several ways to cut spending—and a few more ways to bring in revenue that in previous years was generated by various real estate, sales, and property taxes now in rapid decline. Among the highlights, or lowlights, depending on your perspective: 929 city employee pink slips and 1,350 vacancies that won’t be filled; the consolidation of several city departments; diversion of some of the Midway lease proceeds, and anticipated cash from leasing city parking meters, to general operating funds; dismissal—that’s right—for city employees who don’t "do a day’s work for a day’s pay"; refinancing existing debt; hiking certain parking fees and raising taxes on entertainment and private-sector garbage collection; service shutdowns for six days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. The city will also cut funding for free downtown trolley rides and the jumping jack program for kids, and library scofflaws can expect to pay twice as much in fines.
The budget proposal, Daley said, “improves management, minimizes reductions in services, and maintains funding for public safety while still investing in neighborhood infrastructure to keep Chicago moving forward.”
Translation: in these tough times, when just about every governmental entity in the country is scrambling to piece together a survival plan, the mayor and his staff were smart enough to include a few party favors in theirs that will be hard for aldermen to resist. Millions from the Midway deal will be poured into the ward menu program, which allows aldermen to spend money on whatever capital improvements they choose. Ever-increasing pots of TIF money will continue to be doled out to finance other pet projects. Daley says he'll lobby the federal government for a jobs program that will help all of Chicago.
Without dropping his name, the mayor even made a pledge to his on-again, off-again critic James Meeks—who as far as I could tell wasn’t physically in the building—by vowing to pressure Springfield to reform the school funding system.
"If we work together and avoid the bickering that has divided the federal government and other cities and states attempting to pass their budgets, we’ll be taking an important step toward addressing the financial challenges we face," Daley said.
Aldermen may have stood and applauded the mayor afterward, but nobody could pretend to be happy about what he’d said. Some of the out-and-out skeptics, like Bob Fioretti, Pat Dowell, and Scott Waguespack, wondered why some of the "management improvements" hadn’t been implemented already if they were such great ideas. "We plan six months ahead; other cities have five and six-year plans," said Waguespack. "There’s no way you can say you didn’t see some of this coming."
Even stalwart allies said their constituents didn’t want to hear about slowed or reduced service—they wanted more trash pickup and tree-trimming, not less. Not that anyone had better ideas than the mayor’s. And all could acknowledge that desperate times call for desperate measures. Before a phalanx of TV cameras, 31st Ward alderman Ray Suarez held up a copy of the 611-page budget proposal and made a pledge that would have been unthinkable, or at least unutterable, in many of the flush years past: "We are going to have to look closely at this thing."
Hearings start next Monday at 10 AM in council chambers; they're open to the public.
Showing 1-24 of 24
" ... consolidation of several city departments ... " I suppose it would be rude to point out that The Manager Mayor split Planning out of Zoning in his first term and now he is combining them.
"If we work together and avoid the bickering ... " asking questions is disloyal
Daley has a plan? for more taxes, some october surprise up his sleeve taht he will spring on taxpayers.
good call hugh. If we work together and avoid the bickering...means no dissent or you will end up the mayors doghouse, or jail. Hey wasn't that how Saddam started out?
the economy is collapsing and Daley does what? Daley cut jumping jacks and free trolleys for out of town guests? The world is coming to an end.
AHHHHHHH D A M M it feels good to be a Hamburg. I have five summer homes,and cars to go with each one. DAMM IT FEELS GOOD TO BE A HAMBURG.
Look at the waste and corruption and it is still the same as it was years after Daley said he was going to change things. No plan for how to change the city even 20 years later. But the olympics sound great. Maybe Daley will call up the jumping jacks team in time for the olympics.
Ways to cut spending: 1. Eliminate all 11th ward jobs 2. Eliminate all 19th ward jobs 3. Eliminate all 29th ward jobs 4. Eliminate all 40th ward jobs (you could save money there just with family) 5. Eliminate all 8th ward jobs 6. Eliminate all HDO jobs THAN Contracts Eliminate contracts for these "gentleman" (and some ladies like Maggie Daleys friends 1. Eliminate Gallery 37 2. Tim Degnans contracts 3. Jerry Joyces contracts 4. John Schmidts $525 an hour legal contracts 5. Victor Reyes contracts 6. Duff contracts 7. Hanley contracts 8. John Daley contracts (off of city hired trucks) 9. Michael Daley contracts (all the zoning business) 10. Bill Daley and Jr (the parking garage leases, bank deals) 11. Vaneckos pension deals 12. Michael Marchese land city deals 13. Arsonist Elzie Higginbottom Tax all the above a special corruption tax to give back
Shit, Merriam, if that happened, we, the citizens, would have a several billion dollar surplus! Woohoo!
$462 million OVER budget for 2009. $266 million OVER budget at CTA $300 million OVER budget at OMP $66 million OVER budget at Parks. $500 million for the Olympics. Whats this Mayors solution? Raise the fees on over due books? I beg of you great people of Chicago. When is enough ,enough? This Mayor is a fuckin clown!!!!
Scott Waguespack, wondered why some of the "management improvements" hadn’t been implemented already if they were such great ideas. "We plan six months ahead; other cities have five and six-year plans," said Waguespack. "There’s no way you can say you didn’t see some of this coming." Finally someone with some COMMON SENSE !
If Mayor Daley wants to keep Chicago moving forward, he should resign immediately. The city has been strangled by the billions nearly two decades of corruption has inflicted upon us since Daley's election in 1989.
20 years of corruption. 20 years of federal opportunities to take down Daley and his cronies. daley is like the energizer bunny of corruption.
"It prompted a standing ovation." including from the aldermen you can count on less than 1 hand who have been around long enough to remember when the Council used to present the budget to the Mayor
What are you mopes whinning about. Chicago is the most livable city in the nation. Quit listening to that cry baby Lemon-Head,he doesn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. Hasn't Mayor cleared out all the ghetto trash. Also when we get our boy in the White House , Daley will have a blank check,to straight out this mess.
Before a phalanx of TV cameras, 31st Ward alderman Ray Suarez held up a copy of the 611-page budget proposal and made a pledge that would have been unthinkable, or at least unutterable, in many of the flush years past: "We are going to have to look closely at this thing." sure, Ray, take as much time as you want - up to 2 weeks it's not like he could hold up a copy of the People's Budget prepared by our elected representatives
would this be a good time for a status update on Ald. Moore's efforts to hire a budget analyst?
Do any of these alleged MBA business "experts" that work for Da Mare recall this little thing in Econ 101 called a business cycle? The economy goes through these cycles, CONSTANTLY - any financial planner worth a plugged nickel should have seen the economic slowdown coming & had a contingency plan for it. Unless that's what all these TIFs really are for - which would be great if the City wasn't spending money hand over fist on the red tape aspects of TIF programs.
Part of the problem is that Daley thought the real estate boom would last forever and grow but in fact it was a bubble. Also, there is no vision or planning only reaction to crisis with Daley. Daley has too many 6 figure patronage middle managers wasting money and actually doing harm to managing the city. Daley through his real estate push, making Chicago expensive, and high taxes (as well as his brothers role in banking and Fannie Mae etc) played a role in the foreclosure crisis (obviously it is much broader than Daley but Daley played a negative role) The City through an antiquated and selectively enforced building code and inspectors that are shake down artists or reactionary cost the city a lot of money. Daley has controlled the budgets and put in a lot of waste and pork and did not save for a rainy day.
In Bridgeport we don't take out books to read so there can't be any late fees. Maybe boot the cars of people who return books late--that won't affect me or my captains--some can't even read.
"Part of the problem is that Daley thought the real estate boom would last forever and grow but in fact it was a bubble." but that's my point, only a vegetable could be that dense. people of Daley and his close circle's stature could not have realized that the Bush admin tried to minimize the impact of the tech stock bubble by encouraging a real estate one.
When will the people of this city be free from Daley and his corrupt people?
To all those people who have high property taxes, all tose about to be laid off, and all those who feel upset at the way Daley has treated them: www.olympic.org International Olympic Committee Chateau de Vidy 1007 Lausanne Switzerland tel: (41.21) 621 61 11 fax: (41.21) 621 62 16
We the citizens of this repressed city must first challenge the media. People have siezed media as a first step in toppling corrupt Governments.
Latest in The Blog
-
11/21—Lights Festival Freebies
Many local establishments are giving away free treats during the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival.
- Nov 20, 2009
-
Still More on the Mezuzah
- Nov 20, 2009
-
Dinner and a Show: Friday 11/19
Some recommendations for what to do tonight, paired with nearby restaurants.
- Nov 20, 2009
- More»
Author Archives
-
The city's legal bills—high and likely to get higher
- Sep 1, 2009
-
Mayor Daley is sorry that we don't like the parking meter deal
- Aug 25, 2009
-
The Big Green Apple
Never mind your rooftop gardens and LEED buildings—here’s why New York is a model of sustainability.
- Sep 24, 2009
- More»
Comments (24) RSS