Thursday, September 10, 2009
Clout City Olympic Compromise
Posted by Ben Joravsky on Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Essentially, the City Council's great Olympic compromise with Mayor Daley boils down to this: they give him permission to spend as much public money on the games as he wants—into the billions of dollars. And he promises to tell them how he spent the money after he spends it.
I'm not sure why that deal would inspire the howls of aldermanic hallelujah that erupted during yesterday's council meeting, unless they're just relieved to have that matter moved off their desks.
But there they were waving the flags, patting themselves on the back, and straining their brains to think of new ways to express their adoration for Mayor Daley.
As for Alderman Manny Flores, you'd have thought he'd discovered a cure for baldness the way they lavished him with praise for forcing Daley to promise to publicize what should have been public information to begin with—and despite the fact that he surrendered on this fight long ago.
A word of warning for anyone hoping to track the 2016 committee's work should Chicago wins the games. If Daley's people run this the way they run the TIF program, it will be virtually impossible to follow exactly what's going on.
The city long ago mastered the art of stashing TIF information in bits and pieces. A little here, a little there—just enough to say, Hey, we're transparent without actually being transparent. The point is to make most folks throw up their hands and say forget it—I give up. Just spend my money however you want.
Still, I don't want to rain on the aldermen's parade. If they're happy, I'm happy for them.
How's this for an Olympic motto: Let the obfuscation begin!
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"If Daley's people run this the way they run the TIF program, it will be virtually impossible to follow exactly what's going on."
Bet on it, Ben. You probably memorized all of Daley's old press releases:
"Mayor Richard M. Daley today named Lori T. Healey Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development. Healey is a real estate and economic development specialist who is returning to the City from the private sector.
Healey joined the Department of Planning and Development in 1998 and served as the First Deputy Commissioner in 1999. She was responsible for managing the City’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Program and citywide planning efforts to encourage community and business development, job creation and retention, and private and public sector investment."
http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webport…
Ben, God (and the US Attorney) willing, by the time most of that Olympic money is to be spent, Daley is rotting away at Terre Haute Federal Prison!
Terre Haute Federal Prison is too good for Daley. It's too bad there are no death sentences for a habitual liar and career criminal like Daley.
Daley has been on a 20 year crime spree, and uses taxpayer's money as his own.
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