ChicagoClout

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October 30, 2009 was a long day in the studio for City of Chicago employees. The star of the show was Orland Cobb, a Union 726 Teamster and Saul Charak, a local 150 engineer. Many people need to realize, the City of Chicago Department of Water Management needs to ensure its American's with Disabilities protocol is enforced. Many City of Chicago employees want to work in dignity with fair and reasonable accommodation. Saul also discussed his working environment when he was at the Water Department. Enjoy our video that was taped at the CAN-TV studio in Chicago. Pease find out more about your right to work when you get injured, click here http://www.ada.gov/ Host of the show was Patrick McDonough pictured in the middle. Photo by Michael McGann and edited by Patrick McDonough

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October 27, 2009, Chicago, llinois. Today was a long day again to document the corruption by American Bankers against the American people in Chicago. I have said this day would come for years, people were spending money like tomorrow would never show up. Americans are getting scam fees and high interest on things they purchased. Some people did not care because they would take another loan, pay their credit card balances, and then start spending again. The proliferation of gambling and bad habits is coming to roost. The banking system is the check and balance to save us from ourselves. The banking system decided to cash in and allow people to have access to money they could not pay back. The bankers were bailed out, they are profiting again, and Americans are tossed out of their homes. There is a crisis in America, no jobs, no money, and no future. This is a major issue and many people are suffering. Many of the factory jobs are gone, they will not return. Americans like the easy money, the politicians are corrupt, and China might take over as the new world leader. Chicago is in the center of the upheaval because it is so corrupt; the cancer spreads to the entire nation. Obama will not put Mayor Daley in check, and we will have a thousand plagues. I am asking every single American to take a very serious second look before you cast a vote again, watch your polling stations, demand better Government. Mayor Daley is selling every asset he can get away with, stop this now. Government has a special purpose, to protect us from ourselves. There are some politicians that might make a difference maybe wake us up and send us back in the direction we need. The Chicago Unions need to get back to basics and remember to protect the workers, to apply pressure strong and steady, enforce the rule of law. The judges that pay a dollar per signature are part of the problem. We need to take the politics out of the judicial system. Please enjoy these pictures of the protest in Chicago, the people are hungry and want answers, not temporary solutions. It is both parties responsible for making the bad decisions. I was happy to see David Hoffman supporters at the rally; I wish David Hoffman could have put a word or two to the crowd. I am happy to see people like David Hoffman run for U.S. Senate, and step forward when the country needs to change direction. We have a complex TV show that might put you to sleep, but it will explain what happened to us in the last few years. America needs to realize we need elbow grease and dirty fingernails to fix our mess. Photos by Patrick McDonough. God bless all the people that care enough about our country to protest.

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David Hoffman is reminding you that today we'll be marching with other concerned citizens to let big banks in Illinois know we're fed up with their reckless spending and greed. We'll also be spreading the word about the campaign to make David Hoffman the next Democrat Senator of Illinois. "The March" October 27, 2009 10:30 a.m. -- Wacker & Stetston (at the river) Walk to the Water St. Sheraton, 3 blocks away "The Rally": 11:00 a.m. -- Sheraton Hotel 301 E. North Water St. The Hoffman campaign will be handing out flyers to engage potential campaign volunteers. Make sure you take the time to show up, fix your government. Pictured is David McDonough, "kids for David Hoffman and better a world". Photo by Patrick McDonough.

Posted by at 12:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Pressure washing systems have been on Chicago Clout's radar for a very long time. They have washed backhoes and trucks at the City of Chicago Department of Water Management for years. It is no secret they have been reported to the Chicago Office of the Inspector General for flagrant violations. I cannot list them right now. When I approached this company, the workers could not speak English. I contacted the union that covers this bargaining agreement, they did nothing. For years they have washed Chicago's City Hall sidewalks. The same contractors tied to Blago are tied to Mayor Daley. Do you find it funny how they only talk about certain connections and not others? The City of Chicago is corrupt beyond repair; I just wonder why nothing is done. Chicago Clout is years ahead of the corruption curve, and we will always stay ahead of the top stories. We have more on this company that needs to come out soon, let's see if the new leadership at the Chicago Office of the Investor General follows through. This picture was taken at the Department of Management yard in Chicago, this company came onto government property with no identification check, they rolled right in. Patrick McDonough. Was state deal to state jobs? Business owner helped brother-in-law get on Blagojevich administration payroll -- then landed state contract Comments October 26, 2009 BY DAVE McKINNEY AND CHRIS FUSCO Staff Reporters A secret hiring database kept by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration is shedding new light on a controversy over lucrative pressure-washing jobs that went to a Cicero company owned by a major Blagojevich campaign contributor. The contributor -- William Mologousis, owner of Pressure Washing Systems Environmental Inc. -- helped his brother-in-law Robert Millette land a $95,000-a-year job as the Illinois Department of Transportation's finance and administration chief in 2003, the records show. Candidates recommended by Billy Mologousis: List of recommended candidates Recommended candidates that were hired The next year, Mologousis' company got a $522,000 contract to pressure-wash state bridges, building facades and expressway tunnels. The deal also included a "pilot program" under which his company, known as PWS, would clean and seal a half-dozen IDOT salt storage domes. Millette, 38, doesn't want to talk about whether the contract was linked to his job. "I'm not going to have any comment," says Millette, who lives in Downstate DuQuoin and no longer is a state employee. "I've got another job. It has nothing to do with these people." Messages left with Mologousis, who also has multimillion-dollar pressure-washing contracts with the City of Chicago, were not returned. The pressure-washing flap unfolded in summer 2005 after the Associated Press revealed that PWS had been paid more than $7,000 to wash and seal a new salt dome, duplicating work that the dome's builder already had done. After that story, IDOT released an April 26, 2005, memo in which Millette disclosed his family tie to Mologousis but insisted "I have not and will not have any input" regarding PWS' contract with the Department of Central Management Services. IDOT in July 2005 suspended Millette, who resigned his job that September. The state paid PWS a total of $394,554 in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but the firm hasn't done any state work since then. PWS' clout with Blagojevich dates to his first run for governor. The company and some of its employees contributed to Blagojevich's campaign, giving $25,530 between June 2000 and July 2003, including expenses for a November 2001 fund-raiser. Mologousis, 42, is among 386 people who sponsored 5,700 candidates for jobs, promotions or appointments controlled by Blagojevich's administration between 2003 and 2005, according to the hiring database, which the Chicago Sun-Times reported on earlier this month. Overall, nearly 2,500 of those candidates got hired, transferred or promoted, with many of them landing low-level jobs in which politics isn't supposed to play a role. The database is in the hands of federal prosecutors, who indicted Blagojevich late last year on charges that he traded state-government actions for campaign contributions and other benefits for himself. FBI agents in Springfield interviewed IDOT employees about PWS in 2005, but the contract has not surfaced in Blagojevich's corruption case. No other criminal charges regarding it have been filed. Mologousis, according to the database, got 11 people hired or promoted -- 10 of them at IDOT. Six remain on the state payroll. They include Millette's wife, Angela Korbar. Korbar had been working for the state Capital Development Board when Blagojevich took office. She transferred to IDOT in January 2004, increasing her annual pay from $30,324 to $52,620. She now works as a Downstate human resources manager for IDOT, earning $63,000 annually.

Posted by at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

City of Chicago Department of Water Management Engineer and Male Makeup Artist was assaulted the third time October 24, 2009. The City of Chicago Department of Water Management does not seem to get the facts right on assault and battery, time after time. The dog and pony show of protecting workers has again been exposed as fraud. Commissioners do not listen to people that tell the truth unless they are on a petition drive or actively working a campaign. The Department of Water has management that was never educated in a college environment, many of these goons made their marks lying about co-workers, or being at the right place at the right time, for the right political campaign. It is no secret, uneducated managers put workers together that do not get along, a sure recipe for fights. After Hired Truck Scandal, Daley dumped some washed out coppers over to the department with no people skills, using the same abusive tactics they used on poor blacks and Hispanics. I am hoping Chicago News Stations do a story on Tom Morris, make-up artist for many famous judges and just a couple of weeks ago, made-up Dorothy Brown, Cook County Clerk. Tom was choked in the last assault incident, resulting in marks to his neck and back injuries. The Water Department suspended Tom instead of the actual perpetrator, despite medical proof! I do not blame Daley for selling the Chicago Department of Water Management; Daley destroyed a once great department with politics and corruption. Photo enhanced by Patrick McDonough

Posted by at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On October 19, 2009, Chicago Department of Water Management Workers noticed an employee from a concrete company taking water from a fire hydrant. They were on the Milwaukee Avenue street project that proves private contractor are not up to the tasks of getting work completed in a timely manner. The project which stretches from Montrose to the Jefferson park CTA terminal is the result of multiple minority contractor incompetence. Everyone on this project should not be allowed to work for the public again. A concrete contractor was caught with his saw cutting machine hooked up to a fire hydrant with no protection to the potable water supply. The man had no permit to use the water. A Chicago Police officer was dispatched and made quick work of the violations. I commend Officer Stranski for a job well done. The City of Chicago Department of Water Management needs proper training to make all employees aware of water safety. Many people think the department promotes political hacks that have little knowledge of public safety. Many Chicago Water Department employees think the only thing that matters is getting signatures for Daley and his selected political goons. I want to thank the employees that did their job and reported the violations. Many employees are afraid to report these violations as the Management in the department will retaliate. Make sure you read the following articles, Daley is selling the City of Chicago to the highest bidder. Make sure you vote everyone of these idiots out of office. Photo by Patrick McDonough. Five Chicago assets that could be sold off next FUNDS | After peddling the Skyway, parking meters, Daley could look up -- or down Comments October 23, 2009 BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter After draining reserve funds generated by city asset sales, Mayor Daley has hitched Chicago's financial future to continuing the Great Chicago sell-off. If that's his rabbit in the hat, there are several viable alternatives, provided aldermen vilified for the parking meter fiasco are willing to go along with it. » Click to enlarge image Mayor Daley has hitched Chicago's financial future to selling off of city assets. The Chicago Skyway and, most recently, the parking meters have been privatized. (Sun-Times) CAST YOUR VOTE What asset do you think Chicago could sell next? Garbage collection Midway Airport O'Hare Airport Sewer system Water system All of the above will be sold off, eventually Don't sell off any more city assets! RELATED STORIESVote: What could Chicago sell next? Daley could privatize the water system or just the sewer portion. He could revive the $2.5 billion Midway Airport deal that collapsed for lack of financing and lay the groundwork to do the same at O'Hare. If he wants to reduce operating expenses without generating up-front cash, he could privatize garbage collection or recycling. Water billing and other revenue collections are also possibilities. Here's the rundown: MIDWAY AIRPORT: This is the most immediate prospect, considering the groundwork already done. Former Daley chief of staff John Schmidt, who advised the city on the Midway and Skyway deals, says "alternative refinancing structures" under study could set the stage for the city to revive the Midway deal within six months without another round of bidding. "There is no law that says we have to go back through another auction process. There are other bidders who've been found qualified by the airlines," Schmidt said. "If you look at corporate merger deals, there are a lot of different ways to create a market test to make sure you're getting the best possible deal without" another round of bidding. O'HARE: If Daley is willing to think big and keep his powder dry, this could attract a monster payout. But roadblocks remain. Hundreds of millions worth of outstanding bonds must be paid off. The massive runway expansion project must be completed. And the Federal Aviation Administration, which agreed to make Midway the first major commercial airport privatization in the United States, would have to approve the transaction. "It would be enormously complicated. It couldn't be done for 10 years," Schmidt said. WATER SYSTEM: This sounds intriguing, but it's fraught with political danger. It's one thing to privatize the Skyway and street parking, which play to more limited audiences. But everybody uses Lake Michigan water purified and pumped through Department of Water Management facilities. Does Daley really want to put that service in the hands of a private company that might cut corners to improve its bottom line? One City Hall observer called it "a gamble I wouldn't take." Another complication is the condition of the city's water mains. Like the Midway deal, a private contractor likely would be required to offer jobs to city workers. Would they pay top dollar, only to inherit employees implicated in the Hired Truck and city hiring scandals? SEWER SYSTEM: This would probably make more sense from a political standpoint. "To put it crudely, people are less sensitive to the quality of what's going out than they are about the quality of what's coming in," Schmidt said. Chicagoans pay a sewer surcharge that amounts to 86 percent of a customer's water bill. If sewer service alone is privatized, those fees tacked on to water bills would have to be separated. GARBAGE COLLECTION: Daley can't get up-front money without imposing a fee for garbage collection. But he could save money by farming it out, if he could withstand the avalanche of aldermanic opposition. It likely would make the controversy from the failed attempt to privatize side-street snow removal pale by comparison. No matter what assets Daley wants to unload, nothing will happen quickly. Aldermen were crucified for giving quickie approval to the parking meter deal. They're not about to do it again, said City Council Transportation Committee Chairman Tom Allen (38th). "The process going forward to sell more assets will be very different than it was for the Skyway and meters. It'll be much more public with the citizens weighing in on it," he said. Look out water thieves: City is watching for you By STEVE HUNTER Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Jan 09 2009 Kent city officials want residents to help watch for and report mobile fleet-washing companies and others that are reportedly stealing water from municipal fire hydrants. The city has been losing money, thanks to the theft of water by several fleet-washing companies and other contractors. The thieves also are damaging hydrants and creating the potential for contaminating city water supplies. "We are seeing an increase (in 2008) compared to what has happened the past 10 years," said Brad Lake, city water superintendent, in a Dec. 23 phone interview. "We want more emphasis on catching folks for a warning or a fine from the police department." If residents see a truck using a hydrant without a water meter, they should jot down the vehicle's license-plate number as well as the name of the company, and call the Kent Public Works Department at 253-856-5600. "If we get a license plate number, we can follow it up," Lake said. Here's how to spot an illegal water hookup: The hose is attached directly to the hydrant without a water meter attached. Even city vehicles use water meters to monitor the amount of water they're using. Companies can fill up trucks in as quick as 10 minutes, depending on the size of the truck's water tank. The city can fine companies up to $300 per day for using hydrants without a permit or meter. Police also can cite the companies for theft of water or malicious mischief for damage to the hydrants. City policy requires companies to get a permit, water meter and a specific wrench from the public works department to legally use fire hydrants. The city's permit fees are $50 for 1-inch water meters and $100 for 3-inch meters. Permits are valid for up to 60 days. Contractors that provide mobile fleet-washing services use the hydrants to fill up trucks with water before heading to a job site. But a few companies hook hoses directly to the hydrant and use pipe wrenches to open the valve rather than using the city-issued water meter and wrench. "They can break the (valve) stem and that makes it non-operating when the fire department shows up," Lake said. "And the hoses (without a proper connection) can contaminate the water." Lake said the water meter helps to control backflow that can contaminate the water supply. City workers constantly repair hydrants damaged by improper use. Gwen Abraham, who works in accounting services for the Kent Public Works Department, bills the companies that get permits and check out water meters. She discovered even a few of the companies that check out water meters don't always use them when hooking up to the hydrants. "A company with a 500-gallon truck, the cost would be at least $20 per fill," Abraham said. "They have the meter for 60 days and the meter charge is $11 total. There's no way. Even if they only had one fill per day, the cost for 60 days would be $1,200." City officials said they are unable to estimate how much revenue the city has lost because it's difficult to know how many companies illegally fill trucks and how much water those companies take. "We really don't know," Lake said. "But we try to talk to companies to educate them. We've had meetings with a couple of companies. We've issued a couple of citations, but that's not what we prefer to do." City employees recently caught one company stealing water from a hydrant and gave the company a warning, Lake said. The next day city employees caught the same company hooked up again to a hydrant without a meter. Police cited the firm for theft. Besides fleet-washing companies, contractors at construction sites use the hydrants for pressure washing. The city also has issued permits for filling up swimming pools. The city started a permit system for companies to use fire hydrants more than a decade ago, because of the thefts from the hydrants. "Kent felt it was better to have a program to use the hydrants properly, meter it and protect the system from damage," Lake said. "And we can use legal enforcement to go after folks who take water illegally." Lake has met with the Kent Police to help inform officers to keep an eye out for illegal use of the hydrants. Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter can be reached at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

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Special thanks to Everitz Consulting for fixing up Chicago Clout. Our website uses movable type and Media Temple. We added Pay Pal to offset the need for a full time video investigator. We need every Chicago City employee to take pictures of any bosse's car that is missing m-plates. Daley and his goons have given regular plates to many clout heavy bosses so it is more difficult to watch them use the cars for personal use. If you have furlough days and are a current Chicago employee, we will need your assistance to help our investigator monitor bosses in and out of major plants like Streets and Sanitation and the Jardine Plant. We must save the City of Chicago taxpayers from Commissioners using City vehicles for politics and personal use. We must install GPS and throw these goons in jail. Chicago is on the brink of bankruptcy, save your city and rat these thieves out to us. Your identity will be kept confidential. Let's help the Office of the Inspector General during these tough times. Thanks, Patrick McDonough.

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Every day is a great day when you get to visit your lawyer at Loevy and Loevy. I visited an old friend and trusted attorney that specializes in Civil Rights Section 1983 cases. These cases are about your First amendment rights. The law reads, " Every person who under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, Suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer's judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. For the purposes of this section, any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia". There is strong hatred in Chicago and you need to know your rights. Many employees remember the hate of the Klan in the south, this racial hatred still exists in Chicago and at the Chicago Department of Water Management. In fact yesterday, at 7:30 a.m. an employee got into a fight with John King, a General Superintendent of the Department of Water Management. Our crew witnessed him called a Jag-off and other hateful words. Verbal altercations occur on a regular basis in the Department of Water Management. Let's see what develops. Many people are victims of racial and Civil Right violations, you need to get an Attorney that will protect you. I suggest Kurt H. Feurer a famous Chicago Lawyer. Make sure you keep all your records, organize them into a manner that is self explanatory, and present your case. Chicago needs more great lawyers that can handle these cases with expertise in corporate law. I am going to drag Kurt Feurer into CAN-TV to explain more on this subject some day I hope. Contact Kurt H. Feuer at 312 North May Street Suite 100 Chicago Illinois 60607 to explain your rights. Call Attorney Feuer at 312.265.2208

Posted by at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The City of Chicago is spending money on Mayor Daley's construction company with no end in sight. Benchmark is pumping down basins and putting a cover on the bricks, this process is called "Manhole Relining". You dry out a basin, and place a protective coat which should extend the life of a basin, thus saving Chicago Taxpayer's money. I have watched this crew work on Irving Park Road and on Lawrence Avenue. This crew works very hard, so why am I concerned? I only saw supervision once in all the months of Benchmark's work. I found only one City of Chicago employee in a City Vehicle making sure the work was done up to snuff. I only saw this city employee talk to another person on the jobsite, but never looking into the basins. So who is watching the compliance of this contract? Nobody from the City of Chicago. To make a long story short, we need to enforce contact compliance in Chicago. I am tired of money spent multiple times when the work should be done right the first time. Every bricklayer knows this work is all show if the bricks, the frames, the lids, and the basin structure are not solid. Traffic will destroy the work in short order. Also, the City of Chicago for years has used brick which crumbles when in contact with salt, and snow melting chemicals. These crews seem to work overtime every day. We will know what was done after a cold winter or when the warrantee of the work expires, but things sure look good for now. Photo by Patrick McDonough.

Posted by at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Chicago Clout is assisting Chicago Teamsters affected by Mayor Daley's decisions against City Workers that took a stand to save their jobs just recently. We will do everything we can to assist you get all the money you were cheated out of. Please contact MAG care of Patrick McDonough P.O. Box 366 Park Ridge, Illinois 60068. Please note: many of you will return to work soon thanks to our efforts and protests. Please also contact us as we intend to help politicians that see things our way. Stop being taken advantage of. Patrick McDonough.

Posted by at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Most of this summer required me to watch Mayor Daley and his Administration continue to break the law of the land. Mayor Daley looked like a fool when the 726 Teamsters would not give into his insane demands. Daley was playing both side of the coin when he was telling the world Chicago had money, but he was cheating Chicago City Workers out of fair pay and work. Every Chicago City employee knows Daley laid off Chicago Teamsters and replaced them with Hired Trucks. Many of the Hired Truck Drivers are scabs and belong to phony minority and disadvantaged businesses. Mayor Daley may consider a black, a Mexican, and a women a disadvantaged human but I do not. I was contacted by several drivers from Midway Airport and several drivers from Local 726. I recommended a lawyer that would start and finish a lawsuit and not steal their money. I am very glad on October 13, 2009; Attorney Russ Stewart filed a lawsuit on behalf of what could become (200) two hundred Chicago City Workers. The lawsuit is against The Chicago Department of Aviation, The Chicago Department of Transportation, The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, and my friends at the City of Chicago Department of Water Management. Want all those teamsters to know, I followed Hired Trucks and took pictures for free. The teamsters might have the last laugh yet! Here is the link https://w3.courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/FindDock.asp?NCase=&SearchType=2&Database=3&case_no=&=&=&=&PLtype=1&sname=alonzo+anderson&CDate= Good luck everyone. Photo by Patrick McDonough

Posted by at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The Laborer's Union is having a meeting tomorrow night, October 19, 2009. 1092 members are still smarting from furlough days and no overtime; the laborer's union did not give the all member's a chance to vote their opinion at the last meeting. That meeting did not include any revelations by the Union leader to attend Copenhagen for Daley's Olympic 2016 bid. This bid was made possible off the backs of Chicago union workers. Hard working laborers might want to ask who went and who paid. Who invited Chuck? Was this more of selling out workers? When was this deal struck? Was this Quid pro quo? No time for tears, we need straight answers. The LoVerde families are great people; Carol is an institution in Chicago Union circles. Chuck has made a nasty error here. The timing could not have been worse. The Plumber's Union under James Sullivan wants to keep in power longer than he is allowed. Jimmy wants the rules changed. Chicago Unions need fresh blood; the old actors have gone stale. Please note, the Teamsters laid off workers are returning back to work, many enjoyed unemployment checks for months, who is the sucker? Not me! Patrick McDonough

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This is a vision of Mayor Daley and his insane desire to be the God Almighty of the Olympic Games. For some reason, Daley thought he could crap the world with is bully tactics, just like he does in Chicago. I always hear about Daley and his passion, fight for what you believe in, he bellows like a big airbag. Daley has a problem because he has been put in his place again by everyone outside the Chicagoland area. They do not rely on his illegal contracts and bending the laws, his arm-twisting is stopped at the door. I find it beyond belief Daley is worried about abortion rights at this time, when his credibility and respect is tanking. I wonder what fool in his Administration told him to rant about this new topic. Daley cannot control all the contract favors and keep Chicago City Workers gainfully employed. Chicago is in a financial mess, Daley is at the helm. When trouble happens, people look for answers; Daley is not the go to guy. I have finally met someone to partner with on getting graphics which will give Jack Higgins a run for his money. Now that is a great and mighty task! We are also fixing the sound in our last video posts that was caused in the studio.

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I could never understand how Mayor Daley and his pack of goons can allow work that should be completed by Chicago City Workers, to be farmed out to private contractors. This company said they are Joel Kennedy Construction Company. Their trucks have no lettering or have lettering with false addresses, of course that depends on the way Chicago Office of the Inspector General determine residency. None of these cases have ever been prosecuted. In fact, some former employees retired from the Chicago Water Department and went to work for privates in Lake County. These companies need to be investigated for compliance. Chicago City workers are taking furlough days at great expense to their families. Private companies from other counties take our work; enjoy lower taxes, better roads and less corruption. I think that is why Mayor Daley has a residence in Michigan. Why would Daley farm out the sewer program to these companies? When will the Inspector General investigate these companies? Many of these companies have a P.O. Box and the mail is forwarded to the suburbs. On this job the company did not have a permit. They started work with-out a permit. The boss came out with Wisconsin plates on his pickup. He said this is emergency work, like the Nativity of our Lord emergency work? I never heard of a private company allowed to start a job without a permit in a municipal environment. But this is Chicago and Daley is the most corrupt person to ever serve office, period. This is a scam, pure and simple, it leads to using privates to complete work for the Commissioners friends and Alderman's donors on the taxpayer's dime. We need to Feds to raid the Jardine Plant again. The Chicago Department of Water Management might have found a new Hired Truck Program. I am still waiting to take a prosecutor on a three hour drive to explain the scam in detail. Photo by Patrick McDonough

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Thank you Mia, this is great reporting. Lets fix the holes in our steets now! Read extended entry. Gee, who made the excuse from the water department? Huge Pothole Near School Not Fixed In 3 Years Reporting Mai Martinez CHICAGO (CBS) ― Click to enlarge1 of 1 Parents and school officials at Edward Coles Elementary School say this gaping pothole in front of the school has not been fixed for almost three years. CBS You've heard about the city's pothole problems, but parents and school officials at one elementary school say they've been dealing with a gaping hole in front of their school for almost three years. As CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, they are fed up and they want the pothole fixed now. As parents arrived at Edward Coles Elementary School to pick up their kids, many of them had to maneuver around a large hole in the street. After dealing with it for three years, many of them are used it. "This thing's been here for years. It should have been taken care of as soon as it happened," said Roger King who was picking up his 5-year-old son, Malcolm. Another parent, Deidre Turner, says she can't believe something hasn't been done to fix the problem. "It's dangerous. It's dangerous for the kids and also for the people that's driving up," Turner said. "It's been here for a long time, and I think it should've been fixed by now." Turner said she fears her children might fall into the hole and hurt themselves. Edward Coles Elementary School officials are equally frustrated with the lack of action taken to fix the hole. Assistant Principal El-Roy Estes says they've called 311 every year for the past three years, and the hole still hasn't been fixed. After a visit from Alderman Sandi Jackson, Estes thought the problem would be addressed. "She said she would take care of it. They came and partially did some work, and the other part just sunk right back in," said Estes. Estes says luckily, no students have fallen into the hole, but cars and parents haven't been so lucky. Estes says one time, a mother picking up her child didn't see the cone marking the hole, and drove right into it. "The cone was inside the hole. That's how deep the hole is, and some men, we had to help pick up the truck and get it out of the hole," said Estes. Leon Alexander has three children at the school, and he says he almost fell into the hole one day. He and other parents say they can't understand why the city would leave their children at risk by not at least covering the hole properly until it could be repaired. "We're sure that they're going to address it if somebody fall in it, oh, they'll get here the same day," said Alexander. "But why should we have to do that? Why should any of our children be hurt just to get this problem fixed?" A spokesperson for Chicago's Department of Water Management says the hole is "catch basin cave-in," and it will be repaired as quickly as possible because it is near a school. He also says an inspector was sent out to the site, and it is now barricaded off. The spokesperson also says his department only received one call about the hole, and he says it came on October 2, 2009.

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Now the whole story regarding George Prado and the Department of Water Management; Many City of Chicago workers knew what was going down in the Department of Water Management in the North District. George drove a nice Mercedes Benz two door sports car and had prime parking right by the fence in the Wabansia yard. (3822 West Wabansia in Chicago) George had a really nice job of driving the compressor truck, a clout job. This was a job so nice, George was one of the best dressed in the department. Several of the workers were on heroin and everyone knew it. The department gave preferential treatment to these workers, they worked in the yard, the dock, or investigator shift. Some of these guys also move furniture and completed personal errands on city time for the bosses. One of the guys sported a huge chrome gun, showed it to everyone, and nothing was done. Anyone who knew the system knew who gave these guys great treatment. Imagine making full engineer's pay with a do nothing job. Maybe someday the investigators will question George Prado and get an answer on how he could be two places at once. This is a case of looking away from the people that were responsible during his employment with the City of Chicago. This is a case of bosses allowing corruption, Heroin deals, and payroll fraud. Same guys that got away with HIred Trucks. It went on for years at work and the old Inspector General knew nothing? George Prado was a dago wannabe, just another guy that knows more than he told. But, these were the guys that were taken care of, Chicago Style.

Posted by at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I was speaking to Chicago Cement finishers a couple of days ago, he was a foreman with Mayor Daley's Department of Transportation. He spoke of the many months Chicago pays their workers unemployment as private contractors make tons of money. The City guys carded the Milwaukee Avenue (Jefferson Park) project that never seems to end. I have watched Mayor Daley and his goons continue to privatize work that should be done by actual Chicago residents. I guess Mayor Daley wants to be a big man to those suburban contractors that give lavishly to his Olympic bid and campaign coffers. This group of laborers was fixing sidewalks for Chicago's Norwood Park business district. I am amazed at how these laborers are able to drive trucks, operate backhoes, and finish cement. I looked through Mayor Daley's website and I could not find contracts for Rabine Paving. I think these guys were in the 6100 block of Northwest Highway. The picture was taken on October 5, 2009. A thank you to Mayor Daley, for Chicago is quickly going non-union and non-skilled labor will complete the many tasks. But I do not understand why the Office of the Inspector General does not take the time to investigate these contractors. I am finding an overwhelming amount of Hispanic workers; I do not find women, blacks, or handicap workers working for the private contractors. I think Mayor Daley's trick is to have his friends and family start phony minority businesses, get the contracts as subcontractors, and laugh all the way to the bank. Photo by Patrick McDonough

Posted by at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Thank you for the nice and kind words Michael Volpe of Thee Provocateur. http://theeprovocateur.blogspot.com/2009/10/half-hour-with-two-chicago.html On October 2, 2009, we had a great day at Can-TV. Thank you to our famous host Judge Burrell and Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown. Special Thanks to Tom Morris, John Swietczak, and Saul Charak. Thanks to Charles Walker and Joe Yost. Thanks to our friends at CAN-TV. A Super Big thanks to Ivan Tomic and Michael McGann helping to pay the freight. Thanks to all the talent for our new show, Mayor Daley's 11TH Ward Orchestra Tryouts. Thanks to the guys in the control room. The Chicago Clout Shows help make educate voters.Our fun shows help us keep sane at work. We have a large staff of people and hope to have more shows soon. Enjoy.

Posted by at 10:20 PM | Permalink

Posted by at 9:51 PM | Permalink

Posted by at 7:34 PM | Permalink

Thank you very much to Patrick McDonough of Chicago Clout and No Games Chicago. Time to fix the steets and water mains. I win this round, It is called payback. Go Rio!

Posted by at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)