Monday, July 31, 2006
Using Tax Dollars to Get Votes
The quid pro quo use of Chicago Streets and Sanitation Department services for votes described by the Sunday Chicago Tribune story is excellent and difficult reporting, even most is posted as one really bid run-on paragraph.
Reporters Lauie Cohen, Todd Lighty and Dan Mihalopoulos found
“They were using taxpayer money to beat us,” my former legislative colleague Ray Frias said, explaining his aldermanic loss to a candidate more favored by former Mayor Richard Daley’s patronage dispenser Victor Reyes.
“It’s hard to lose if you’re their guy. ‘The City That Works’ works best on campaigns.”
Aldermanic challenger and victor George Cardenas turned in 900 service requests the week before the 2003 election, but told the Tribune that his requests did not get special treatment.
This 12th ward “ranked first among all wards in the city in the number of requests for services…in the weeks before the election,” the Tribune reports, “despite having the fewest residents needing city services.”
Frias lost by 52 votes, but beat the third place candidate to get in a run-off. He withdrew from the election, getting a job from Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Reminds me of what House Republican Leader Lee Daniels did in 2000 with legislative pork for non-incumbents. I thought that Daniels was on the leading edge of the use of tax dollars to promote challenging candidates, but maybe what the Tribune found in 2003 also happened in 1999, as well. With Daniels' top aide and now felon Mike Tristano already talking about use of such non-incumbent pork, Daniels, who has been charged with nothing by the U.S. Attorney's Office, could be next.
As attorney Rich Means emailed me,
Reporters Lauie Cohen, Todd Lighty and Dan Mihalopoulos found new garbage carts, tree trimming, graffiti removalto help allies win tight elections.
were used
“They were using taxpayer money to beat us,” my former legislative colleague Ray Frias said, explaining his aldermanic loss to a candidate more favored by former Mayor Richard Daley’s patronage dispenser Victor Reyes.
“It’s hard to lose if you’re their guy. ‘The City That Works’ works best on campaigns.”
Aldermanic challenger and victor George Cardenas turned in 900 service requests the week before the 2003 election, but told the Tribune that his requests did not get special treatment.
This 12th ward “ranked first among all wards in the city in the number of requests for services…in the weeks before the election,” the Tribune reports, “despite having the fewest residents needing city services.”
Frias lost by 52 votes, but beat the third place candidate to get in a run-off. He withdrew from the election, getting a job from Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Reminds me of what House Republican Leader Lee Daniels did in 2000 with legislative pork for non-incumbents. I thought that Daniels was on the leading edge of the use of tax dollars to promote challenging candidates, but maybe what the Tribune found in 2003 also happened in 1999, as well. With Daniels' top aide and now felon Mike Tristano already talking about use of such non-incumbent pork, Daniels, who has been charged with nothing by the U.S. Attorney's Office, could be next. As attorney Rich Means emailed me,
"Tristanto was only the hands-on staff operator of this longstanding theft of public funds to subsidize State Representative campaigns."
Comments:
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Uh - This type of stuff has been going on for many decades.
It's not "the elephant in the room", it's "the wooly mammoth in the room" for gosh sakes.
Candy, scarves, garbage cans, etc. Whatever was needed/wanted within reason and sometimes beyond reasonable.
Only the year has changed.
Are people really surprised at this in 2006?
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It's not "the elephant in the room", it's "the wooly mammoth in the room" for gosh sakes.
Candy, scarves, garbage cans, etc. Whatever was needed/wanted within reason and sometimes beyond reasonable.
Only the year has changed.
Are people really surprised at this in 2006?
<< Home
