Chicago Sun Times Editorial - With hiring verdict in, Daley has questions to answer
Chicago Sun Times Editorial - With hiring verdict in, Daley has questions to answer
Copyright by The Chicago Sun times
July 7, 2006
The trial is over. The jury has spoken: Four men charged with rigging the city hiring process to favor political workers are guilty of at least some of the counts against them. And while Mayor Daley's patronage system was not named as a defendant, we can now say it has been convicted of existing, something that seems obvious to any City Hall observer but runs contrary to the mayor's and his administration's repeated claims. Chances are that more charges will follow.
Prosecutors argued that the mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs ran "a corrupt clout machine" that routinely handed out jobs to political workers. Perhaps the most damning evidence was a secret 60-page list of the names of more than 5,700 applicants for jobs and promotions, including their political sponsors. The evidence was backed up by the testimony of the secretary who kept the list. "It was about politics, it was about clout, it was about who you know," Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie B. Ruder said in her closing arguments.
Daley hasn't said much about the case since charges were filed nearly one year ago. At that time, he said he didn't know about any wrongdoing and doesn't get involved in hiring decisions. "I don't play any role in hiring. No I don't. I never have." He reportedly told the feds that IGA simply recommended people for jobs but did not order their hiring, an argument also used -- unsuccessfully -- by defense lawyers.
Now that the trial's over, it's not unreasonable to expect some answers from the mayor. For instance, does he still want to end the Shakman consent decree that put strict limits on political hiring? Can he still make the claim he made back in 2002? "Democrats, Republicans, independents. I don't care who they are," he said. "We don't hire anyone on a political basis. We have never done that in the city." Or what does he say about this statement, made by his personnel director in 1998: "You don't have to know anybody. You have to know your way to Room 100 of City Hall. That's where you apply and that's where you'll be fairly considered."
The trial verdict belies those statements. How much did Daley, who is often portrayed as a detail-oriented manager, know about the office's operations? The IGA, after all, has long been run by close associates such as Robert Sorich, who was convicted Thursday, as well as Tim Degnan and Victor Reyes, who could now be in the feds' sights.
It's ultimately up to the voters in next year's elections to decide whether there will be any repercussions for Daley. Some probably have no problem with patronage, viewing it as the way the mayor has been getting things done in the city. But regardless of whether you hold that view, Daley has said repeatedly that his administration does not rely on patronage. A jury has said otherwise. Now a lot of people at City Hall are worrying what comes next from the U.S. attorney's office. They should be.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun times
July 7, 2006
The trial is over. The jury has spoken: Four men charged with rigging the city hiring process to favor political workers are guilty of at least some of the counts against them. And while Mayor Daley's patronage system was not named as a defendant, we can now say it has been convicted of existing, something that seems obvious to any City Hall observer but runs contrary to the mayor's and his administration's repeated claims. Chances are that more charges will follow.
Prosecutors argued that the mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs ran "a corrupt clout machine" that routinely handed out jobs to political workers. Perhaps the most damning evidence was a secret 60-page list of the names of more than 5,700 applicants for jobs and promotions, including their political sponsors. The evidence was backed up by the testimony of the secretary who kept the list. "It was about politics, it was about clout, it was about who you know," Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie B. Ruder said in her closing arguments.
Daley hasn't said much about the case since charges were filed nearly one year ago. At that time, he said he didn't know about any wrongdoing and doesn't get involved in hiring decisions. "I don't play any role in hiring. No I don't. I never have." He reportedly told the feds that IGA simply recommended people for jobs but did not order their hiring, an argument also used -- unsuccessfully -- by defense lawyers.
Now that the trial's over, it's not unreasonable to expect some answers from the mayor. For instance, does he still want to end the Shakman consent decree that put strict limits on political hiring? Can he still make the claim he made back in 2002? "Democrats, Republicans, independents. I don't care who they are," he said. "We don't hire anyone on a political basis. We have never done that in the city." Or what does he say about this statement, made by his personnel director in 1998: "You don't have to know anybody. You have to know your way to Room 100 of City Hall. That's where you apply and that's where you'll be fairly considered."
The trial verdict belies those statements. How much did Daley, who is often portrayed as a detail-oriented manager, know about the office's operations? The IGA, after all, has long been run by close associates such as Robert Sorich, who was convicted Thursday, as well as Tim Degnan and Victor Reyes, who could now be in the feds' sights.
It's ultimately up to the voters in next year's elections to decide whether there will be any repercussions for Daley. Some probably have no problem with patronage, viewing it as the way the mayor has been getting things done in the city. But regardless of whether you hold that view, Daley has said repeatedly that his administration does not rely on patronage. A jury has said otherwise. Now a lot of people at City Hall are worrying what comes next from the U.S. attorney's office. They should be.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 8:39 AM
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