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.
September 19, 2008. When Alderman Manuel Flores shows off the City of Chicago to famous Japanese HOSEI University professors, he made sure he invited Michael McGann to explain various technical green issues. Alderman Flores spoke on many topics and impressed the professors with his expertise on many subjects including items that will assist the professors starting a new Green Environmental Management Department at the University. Michael McGann a Plumbing Inspector, spoke to the group about protection of our potable water supply, water distribution systems, health and safety issues in the plumbing industry, and Plumbing Inspectors responsibilities. Mr. McGann spoke about the Jardine Purification, Stickney Sewage Plant, the T.A.R.P. system, combined sewer systems, green water efficiency, the U.S. Green Building Council and Leed certification. The tour of the Green Roof on top of Chicago City hall was a success. Michael McGann took a vacation day and deserves praise for a job well done. Tomorrow, Mr. McGann is scheduled to become an acting Plumbing Inspector-in-charge, based on the Shakman terms and Local 130 collective bargaining agreement. I hope the City of Chicago Plumbing Division does the right thing and will allow Mr. McGann his fair turn. I little bird told me some political back fighting might stop his turn. I hope that is not the case. The Plumbing Inspectors need professional supervision to avoid more scrutiny with ongoing Federal investigations. I think the taxpayers have had enough. Photo edited by Patrick McDonough
