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Pressure Washing Systems clean up Mayor Daley's Departments

Pressure washing systems 1.jpg 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 on October 26, 2009 10:00 PM |

Comments

August 9, 2006
Alderman Support Non-Union Daley?

I hope someone can explain this to me. On August 9, 2006, the second wave of "Hired Truck Scandal" starts anew. I was at the City of Chicago Department of Water Management at 1801 West Pershing working and on the way out to leave, I spotted a company pressure washing the Sewer Trucks in the rear of the building. I asked the first of two men what Union he is a member of, He did not understand me, (did a bell ring?) He got his boss that said he is not a member of the Union. I called the company and they said they are members of Local 52. If you Google local 52, the number is disconnected. Carol of this company provided the me the information. This is the same company I featured washing Chicago City Hall Sidewalks. This is Hired Truck Scandal version Number Two. What is going on with Mayor Daley and his Clear Vision of Chicago Government? Same old tricks, different package. This company based in Cicero, you know the suburbs. That is where the Chicago Taxpayers money goes. Photo by patrick McDonough.

Posted by: History on Pressure Washing Systems from 2006 | October 27, 2009 1:31 AM

I have noticed this same company getting all of the city bids.The city extends the contracts to them without even putting the work out for bids to other companies. They may use several diffrent company names to get the winning bid, but they always show up in the same yellow trucks to do the work. Now, this not only happens in the city level, but also on the county and state levels as well.
I have noticed this first hand as I went to put in a sealed bid that was to be opened publicly . I researched the bid from the previous year and beat the price by a good margin in hopes to get the work. When I went to go drop off the bid the day it was supposed to be opened. The person there asked if we were with Billy
and told us to say the same thing we said last time so we get the bid again. ( this is the first time we put this bid in)
About 10 minuets later a few other people came in with bids from other compines of billys and the guy said the something to them as well. After waiting about an hour for them to start opening the bids they decided not to do it publicly. About a week later I called them up to see if they had the winning bid yet and they said no. I called every week for almost 2 months till they told me that another company won the bid.
Well i appreciate this opportunity to express my comment (Response) Please give me your contact info. The OIG has not done enough on this matter.

Posted by: Jeff Taylor | January 22, 2011 4:11 PM

HI i just wanted to comment further more on pressure washing systems. Year after year these guys keep getting jobs passed to them under the table. Most recently the Chicago White Sox gave them a contact for pressure washing the stadium. Which i also bid for. Additionally i was told face to face that the contractor needed to be a union company which we are and we are woman minority owned company. Upon asking why a non union company was awarded the contract the Chicago White Sox told us they pay prevailing wage. Which at the start of the bid process was not even an option. Pressure Washing Systems keeps steeling bids where they shouldn't even be allowed to work. I don't mind a losing a fair bid. However this is a seemingly endless thing with Pressure Washing Systems. I contacted the white sox several times to discuss this bid. Which i only was able to talk with them once. Which at the point and time they told us our bid looked great. Lastly this i believe is a state funded project. Yes the state the same state which he is being investigated for the salt dome pressure washing.There are plenty of other situations. I can provide many bids where anyone else cant even get a chance at a bid. Most of which are state and city work. To name a few the Chicago Loop Alliance, pretty much most any SSA pressure washing bid, City fleet washing, and so on. All I'm saying is i think everyone deserves a fair shot at bidding these projects. Please let me know what you think. (Response) I think the office of the Inspector General should do an investigation now. I have waited long enough.

Posted by: Ryne | April 8, 2011 2:26 PM