I teach my children to read books, lots of books. The book I last enjoyed was from a friend of mine that has followed the Hired Truck Program, Peter Zelchenko. When I was trying to expose the climate of corruption in the Daley Administration, I was in the fight of my life. Peter wrote a book about the way elections are won and lost in Chicago. As I read the book, I ran across names that are current and former employees at the Department of Water Management. Since I am in a lawsuit against the City of Chicago, I cannot be too specific; however I am going to reveal some new information that really helped me fill in the blanks. One person was Lester Cioch, an assistant superintendent at the Department of Water Management, which got fired after he was getting signatures for Mayor Daley on the clock. A Whistleblower turned him in, that was not a good time to circulate petitions. In the book was also a Chicago Department of Water Management Foreman that got the slip on ‘Hired Truck Program” theft charges, this was before the Chicago Sun-Times cranked out their greatest story ever. We will get into this more in court. The book is a must read with those that have a basic concept of the election process, and those who thought they do! Make sure you read this book before our upcoming trial, we want informed observers. It is a shame, our American troops die in other countries, and we take the most fundament right away from our neighbors, the vote! You can buy this book here: click http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=096774895X
or you can get a signed copy by calling Peter Zelchenko at 312-733-2473 Photo by Patrick McDonough]]>Chicago employee charged for political work
By Dan Mihalopoulos
Tribune staff reporter
February 14, 2007, 8:55 PM CST
A city supervisor rushing to collect nominating signatures for
Mayor Richard Daley's re-election campaign badgered underlings to
sign the mayor's petitions as they reported for work, authorities
alleged Wednesday.
Lester Cioch, a Water Management Department supervisor, was charged
with violating state and city ethics laws that prohibit public
employees from doing political work while on the clock. The
misdemeanor charges carry a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison,
authorities said.
The charges should serve as a warning to other city workers in the
run-up to the Feb. 27 election, said the city's inspector general,
David Hoffman.
"While city workers are at work, they are being paid to work for
the taxpayers, not a candidate," said Hoffman, whose office led the
investigation.
The Daley administration has moved to fire Cioch, an 11-year city
employee who was an assistant foreman of sewer cleaning.
Reached at home, Cioch declined to comment.
As a precinct captain for the 32nd Ward Democratic Organization,
Cioch was asked to circulate nominating petitions for the mayor.
Cioch allegedly told investigators he only had two days to gather
the signatures.
Hoffman said Cioch admitted gathering 40 signatures from employees
while at work on Dec. 6 at a Water Management Department facility
at 3901 S. Ashland Ave.
Seven workers told inspector general's investigators that Cioch
solicited their support for Daley as they were clocking in for work
or in the parking lot of the facility, authorities said.
In an interview, city worker Ronald Bedenfield said Cioch asked him
to sign the petitions at work, but Bedenfield said he declined.
"Back in the day, everybody used to do it," Bedenfield told the
Tribune. "Times have changed. He took a chance and got caught."
The Daley campaign did not submit the signatures collected by Cioch
to election officials. Hoffman's lead inspector on the case
suggested the campaign learned about the problem in the days before
the petitions were due.
Investigators interviewed the mayor's campaign manager, Terry
Peterson, on Dec. 29, and he told them that Cioch's signatures had
been thrown out. A spokeswoman for the campaign declined to comment
Wednesday.
Cioch previously worked for the 1st Ward Democrats, who sponsored
him for a city job in the 1990s, according to a clout list entered
as evidence in the trial of Robert Sorich, who was convicted on
corruption charges stemming from a scheme to rig hiring for city
jobs.
He joined the 32nd Ward Democrats three years ago and recently
campaigned for Ald. Theodore Matlak (32nd), who is running for
re-election.
"When investigators began asking questions, we were fully
cooperative," said Matlak's campaign manager, Mike Moffo. "Because
questions were being raised, he ceased doing work."
Matlak challenger Scott Waguespack seized on the charges to
criticize the incumbent, saying the Cioch case indicates that
"clout is alive and well in the 32nd Ward."
Tribune staff reporters Todd Lighty and Ray Quintanilla contributed
to this report.
February 16, 2007
BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Staff Reporter
Aides to Mayor Daley emphasized this week that the nominating petitions allegedly circulated by city sewer supervisor Lester Cioch while on the clock were not used by Daley's re-election campaign to get the mayor's name on this month's ballot.
But the mayor's re-election team had no problem using eight pages of nominating petitions Cioch turned in four years ago — during Daley's last run for mayor, records show.
Those wanting to run for mayor must have nominating petitions signed by at least 12,500 registered voters.
Signature count way down
Last time around — before a federal corruption investigation ensnared the mayor's former patronage chief and 41 others — the mayor filed 140,000 signatures on 5,884 pages.
This time around, Daley required circulators to sign a pledge that they were not being coerced to do the work with promises of a city job or a promotion.
Many formerly loyal petition circulators balked, and the mayor turned in only 29,000 signatures. But Cioch, according to charges announced Wednesday by city Inspector General David Hoffman, did not follow the rules barring political work on city time.
Asked to comment on the fact that the campaign used Cioch's petitions four years ago, Daley's campaign bounced the question to the mayor's City Hall press office, which then bounced it back to the campaign office.
Daley's campaign manager Terry Peterson said he was not the campaign manager four years ago and isn't sure Cioch even turned in petitions this time around.
"I can't say he even turned them in," Peterson said. "I never met the man."
Contributing: Tim Novak
Acquitted city supervisor resigns
Tribune staff report
September 8, 2007
CHICAGO – A city supervisor accused of working for Mayor Richard Daley's re-election campaign on city time resigned last month from his $85,176-a-year job.
Lester Cioch, an assistant foreman of sewer cleaning and a precinct captain for the 32nd Ward Democratic Organization, had faced both criminal charges and internal personnel charges for passing Daley's nominating petitions on city time shortly before the February municipal election.
A Cook County judge in April found Cioch not guilty of misdemeanor charges of violating state and city ethics laws that prohibit public employees from doing political work while on the clock.
The judge questioned whether state law applied to city workers and the case was hurt because prosecutors could not produce as evidence the petitions circulated by Cioch. Daley's campaign had thrown out the petitions and said they were never submitted to election officials. Still, city Inspector General David Hoffman recommended Cioch be fired for violating city policy forbidding campaigning on city time.
City making an example of sewer boss: Charged with passing Daley
Chicago Sun-Times, Feb 15, 2007 by Fran Spielman
This is what it has come down to, now that Mayor Daley's former patronage chief has been convicted of rigging city hiring and promotions to benefit pro-Daley political workers.
A $39.65-an-hour assistant foreman of sewers asks 40 of his Water Management Department co-workers at 39th and Ashland to sign Daley's nominating petitions in December — signatures that were never even filed — and officials throw the book at him.
The 63-year-old worker is not only arrested on the job in front of the very co-workers who turned him in. He faces termination proceedings after being charged in a criminal complaint announced by the city's inspector general at a press conference attended by the mayor's chief of staff.
Lester Cioch — a precinct captain in the 32nd Ward Regular Democratic Organization once run by political powerhouse Dan Rostenkowski and former Ald. Terry Gabinski (32nd) — is charged with the misdemeanor crime of violating state and municipal ethics laws prohibiting political activity on city time.
'MULTIPLE' COMPLAINTS
To say Inspector General David Hoffman is trying to make an example of Cioch to show that it's a new day at City Hall is an understatement.
"We think it's stop-the-presses material. . . . The fact that it's one person . . . doesn't mitigate the strength of the message," Hoffman said.
11 Replies to “Book on Chicago Clout "It Happened four years ago"”
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The US House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government has called a hearing to explore whether public, educational and government (“PEG”) programming is in danger of declining or disappearing in our communities as a result of cable television’s current regulatory and business environment.
Barbara Popovic, Executive Director of Chicago Access Network Television (“CAN TV”) will testify at the hearing. Popovic says, “Congress needs to recognize that a rapid erosion of public benefits is underway. In Illinois, AT&T is segregating PEG channels on its U-Verse system, making those channels difficult to find and use. That defies congressional goals to preserve localism and diversity in cable franchising, and ignores Illinois law requiring equivalent treatment of public channels.”
Harm to PEG nationwide was evidenced in a recent survey by Alliance for Community Media, which reported loss of funding and channels, reduced quality and functionality of existing channels, and loss or reductions in public cable drops to schools, libraries and other public centers.
Ms. Popovic has been invited to testify at the upcoming hearing on behalf of Alliance for Community Media and Alliance for Communications Democracy. Also representing PEG will be Bronxnet’s Michael Max Knobbe from Rep. Serrano’s home district. The government’s witness will be FCC Media Bureau Chief, Monica Desai. Howard Simons will testify on behalf of National Cable Television Association. AT&T has refused the subcommittee’s invitation to send a witness.
PEG programming is essential as an outlet for free speech, local information and opinions, and emergency communications. This hearing will help policy makers gain knowledge of what is necessary to protect this important resource in the future.
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 10:00 AM in 2220 Rayburn Building in Washington, DC.
Has anyone every gone back on this blog to see which one of the storiesor claims based the sources of the blogs owner have come true.Most of his fictional tales have not seen the light of day. The one he said he got right anyone could have seen that comming by just reading a real journalistic piece such as any newspaper.
He do you have photo releases from the parents of those children?
In 1995, Ayers stated, “Maybe I’m the last communist who is willing to admit it. The ethics of communism still appeal to me.”
Dohrn is so radical that she made the following comments after Charles Manson’s “Helter Skelter” slayings.
“Dig it. First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them. They even shoved a fork into the victim’s stomach. Wild!”
Obama’s friends are radicals, communists, terrorists and dangerous for America. That is not right wing conspiracy nutwing rhetoric but it is sad reality.
You don’t have to go back to 1999 in the 1st ward.
It still goes on.
The 2006 primary and the board of election and contracts with lobbyist Michael Kasper.
The Venezuelan machines.
Or the 1999 10th Ward race or the 2003 12th ward race.
Daley is a liar and there is a Daley machine and it is mean and powerful and capricious and vicious.
And it costs us taxpayers a lot of money.
http://video.nbc5.com/player/?id=657087
http://video.nbc5.com/player/?id=656661
The booters are taking private property. It is a taking and against the constitution. If someone takes your property you have a right to defend yourself.
You can get 3 tickets in the mail and not know about it because of the cameras, even if there is a defense, and they can try to take your car. This is crazy and onnerous. This hurts poor people the most and those mostly Blacks and Hispanics in areas with the flashing blue lights that give a lot of tickets for rolling stops or turn on red and stupid things like going through a yellow light.
The parking tickets, building inspectors, cameras, tow trucks, shake down extortionist prencinct captains and city workers make this city toooo expensive and too onerous and that just includes regular taxes, fees and extra expenses.
Tow truck drivers and booters are low scum. I realize they need a job and have families but they are hurting people for a living. Many times the cameras are wrong. The ticket writers are over agressive and not in time. There are many errors in this system. Most importantly it is too expensive to park downtown or in certain neighborhoods and there is not enough street parking, it is banned on certain days and certain times, and now a quarter will only buy you 10 to 15 minutes and you can only put in so many at a time.
I have paid tickets and a year later I get the same ticket saying I did not pay and have to find the check and write a letter.
This is worse than the mob, the Daley OC is trying to take blood from a rock.
It is NOT right to shoot someone. Taking a human life is a crime and sin. However, I think you will see more and more booters getting shot because of the 3 ticket rule.
You don’t take a man’s car. 3 tickets is too little and extortion. You cannot fight the tickets in the City Superior street kangaroo court. Maybe if some more booters got shot they would understand how hard the economy is and you can’t be extortionists.
Forbes finds Windy City residents the most stressed in the nation.
A recent study found Chicagoans are stressed out. The reasons- unemployment, gas prices and high population density. Mix those with poor air quality and less than perfect weather, and according to Forbes.com, it’s the right combo for a stressful life.
Who else is stressed out? New York, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In that order, according to Forbes.
The study considered these factors:
housing affordability
unemployment rates
gas prices
air quality
number of sunny days
population density
It is unfortunate that lew does not understand that the system is meant to screw people up and trick people into tickets. I recently got tickets from the camera on blowing a red light even though the camera allows turn on red. It takes more time to fight it. The notices do not arrive that early (at least where I live although that could be the fault of my United Postal Service office)
Even if it is your fault on the tickets to take someon’e vehicle (5 or 10 or 20 or more even 30 or 40 thousand) is extreme as it is private property even if it “against the law” to park “illegally” and driving is a “privilege” not a right. Daley made more places impossible to park (there used to be more parking spaces) and put more residential illegal parking which makes it harder for people to park and overbuilt on residential generally and high end residential even in poor neighborhoods which destoryed parking.
I don’t even know which days they clean and they don’t clean on the days they do and the street signs are torn down or never even put up.
It is very easy to get parking tickets. It is even easier to get the camera tickets.
If someone comes to steal my property (and I have the right to drive because I paid for it and have a good drivers record)(and it is not equal to take my property because I parked in the wrong place it is NOT criminal it is not civil even it is administrative) I WILL PUT A CAP IN THEIR ASS!!!!
It is stealing!!!!!
As Richard J Daley said about looters (and the Daley organized crime family is looters) SHOOT TO KILL
If more parking meter maids, and booters and tow truck drivers were shot and killed or better maimed or crippled it would send a positive message to the criminals and extortionists trying to illegally take money.
The people breaking the law are the Daley administration and the ticket writers. I once saw a tow truck driving the wrong way on a one way street.
Nobody is blaming someone else for their mistakes.
I blame Daley and Stroger for higher taxes, fees and extortionist inspectors and a kafquesque police state like George Orwell.
Yes, pay the ticekt but what if you don’t have the money Lew??!!!
Let Daley or his kids’s cars be towed and booted and ticketed!!!
but they have M plates and police bodyguards
Let Daley grow up and take responsibility for his failed bar exams and Cecil Partee and Ed Vrdolyak fixing it. Let Daley grow up and take responsibility for the fixing of John Daleys insurance exam.
Let Daley grow up and take responsibility for his corruption and the stealing of millions and higher taxes and out of control spending and corruption.
I have seen tow trucks tow cars off of private property.
I have seen the Denver boot people make many mistakes.
I WILL SHOOT ANYONE TRYING TO TAKE OR DAMAGE MY PROPERTY.
I HAVE A 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS AND DEFEND MYSELF.
I HAVE A RIGHT TO PRIVATE PROPERTY.
DALEY IS TURNING THIS INTO A TOTALITARIAN STATE.
To quote the loser of the 08 presidential races’ mentor and pasture “the chickens have come home to roost” . Daley will not sell off anymore public entities because the depression that was due to hit 10 years ago has now begun. Daley has so overspent that the city and county will now layoff 25% of it’s workers. Daley got so wrapped up in spending all our public money on securing his legacy via his “shining city on a hill” that he has led the city and county into a severe financial crisis. For God sake we just had a massive county tax increase and now they want to borrow money to pay their bills. The violence in this city is due to the high gas and food prices and is going to intensify because of this mayors raising the costs of living in the city. I could go on and on here. This mayors wreckless over-spending party has come to a complete halt. It has hit a brick wall. And he will blame everyone else. I will keep the expletives out of this posting for good common decency. The kingdom will now come tubling down. And this mayor will still spend our childrens education money on the olympics as the black alderman take care of only themselves. Well shame on all of them.
Thank you Mr. Ryan, I told you the S*** was going to hit the fan months ago. It is a shame but Mayor Daley does not know how to slow things down. Chicago city workers will pay the price.
I just heard word today via the press that Todd Stroger wants 3.7 BILLION dollars now for some shi$. When Daley is out of office after he has his stroke or heart attack, then the new mayor will have to deal with a debt which will keep the city broke for 15 – 20 years to come. Daley said that we the taxpayers will not pay for the olympics, he is sooooo dead wrong. If this county borrowing goes through then you know it is to be spent on projects to attract the olympics. And James Meeks the bluffing phony “CHICKEN LITTLE” will continue to do naothing like the rest of them and just make noise as the kids get a poor education and the poverty stricken south side residents continue to kill each other in aggravated anger. Karma is a mighty thing and we all reap what we sow. And this mayor has no goodness in him what so ever. And patrick Fitzgerald is a democrat who will never indict Daley. He went after republican George Ryan, republican Scooter Libby got indicted for saying something wrong while under oath as Patrick daley still walks the streets after his numerous fraud schemes and income tax evasion involving tax payer dollars. Fitzgerralds favorite tv show is one where they completely put down republicans constantly. I forgot the name of it but Tom Roeser at WLS am radio exposed this. Fitz is in bed with Daley.