Today Al Sanchez was found guilty as expected. Many do not even comprehend the importance of this jury decision. This is the step to Mayor Daley finally being charged. People are starting to understand just how insane it is at the City of Chicago. Mayor Daley should be congratulated as he finds one idiot after another to lie down for him. I think these people must know another side of Daley that makes them keep quiet, is it the mafia? Sanchez was guilty of four of the seven charges made by the Federal Government. Aaron Delvalle, Sanchez's former assistant, is guilty of a perjury charge for lying to a grand jury about the rigged hiring. In my case, McDonough vs. City of Chicago, expect more perjury charges from City of Chicago employees still gaming the system. I was surprised Sanchez did not take a plea and give up Mayor Daley, his military training made him an idiot. Sanchez is also guilty of covering up crimes for several employees and bypassing the Inspector General when it was run by Alexander Vroustouris. Alexander Vroustouris made it into the Chicago Sun-Times becoming an Assistant State's Attorney for Cook County. Our research uncovered Al stopping criminal activity numerous times. Al Sanchez got off easy. I work for the City of Chicago and many employees are starting to understand they must change. Many City of Chicago employees were visibly upset and one cried. The HDO, run by the Daley family suffered a terrible blow today. Some employees realized they will not get promised promotions. Did you know many white people working at the Department of Water Management were part of HDO. Thanks to many Chicago City employees in Federal court, we will get the last of these goons. Thanks to Loevy and Loevy, we will have our day in court. I hope the crooks understand the Jury system in this country works. Patrick McDonough.
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‘I DID MY JOB’ | Former Streets and Sanitation boss calls conviction unfair
March 23, 2009
BY NATASHA KORECKI, ART GOLAB and FRANK MAIN Staff Reporters
Former city Streets and Sanitation boss Al Sanchez has called himself an “operational guy” who makes “lemonade out of lemons,” but a federal jury handed him a bagful of lemons today, finding the longtime former city official guilty of four of seven counts of corruption.
“Today is not a fair day,” Sanchez told reporters.
»
“I did my job as I was supposed to do. I don’t think I should be in this position.”
Sanchez’s former top aide, Aaron Del Valle, was found guilty on a single count of lying to a grand jury.
Sanchez was accused of taking part in an illegal scheme to dole out coveted city jobs to political foot soldiers in exchange for their campaign work with Mayor Daley’s Hispanic Democratic Organization.
His defense lawyer had argued Sanchez was just the “poor jerk” indicted for a corrupt hiring scheme that was controlled by the mayor’s Intergovernmental Affairs Office.
“We are a little mystified at the verdict,” lawyer Thomas Breen said today. “It’s not a happy day for Al Sanchez … He’s a decent, decent human being.”
Breen emphasized that Sanchez was a Vietnam veteran who fought racism on the job and tried to increase diversity in the city’s workforce He said it was unfair Sanchez was singled out for “a system of hiring in place for years.”
“He has to wear the jacket for it,” Breen said. “There was no crime committed here.”
But prosecutors argued Sanchez jumped into the scheme “with eyes wide open” and helped to create a “mirage” to hundreds of job applicants that they really had a fair shot at a city job.
The jury deliberated for parts of three days after a two-week trial.
Juror Arlene Kaminski said that the verdict reflected the jury’s belief that something is fundamentally wrong with the city’s hiring process and that the flaws in the system extend beyond Sanchez.
“Mr. Sanchez is a very nice man, he’s done a lot for the city, but it’s not right what’s going on. It’s been going on for a long time, and the buck’s gotta stop somewhere. We don’t know where it’s going to stop, but I think us saying what we did say — maybe puts it out there that everybody’s aware of what going on, and let’s clean it up.”
She said that Sanchez’ testimony on his own behalf made a positive impression, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the evidence.
“A lot of us know his record, what he did for the city, and we took that into account,” she said, but, “It made it hard to see why he did some of the things that he did. That’s why we didn’t come in guilty on all counts. That’s why we kicked it back and forth quite a bit.”
Mayor Daley denied any connection with the hiring abuses that resulted in Sanchez’ conviction.
“Let’s be clear: I never have or ever will support any activity that is illegal. The jury has reached its decision. I accept their verdict. But, I also believe it’s fair to remind people that today’s decision was based on allegations from years ago. We have since implemented many reforms, including the appointment of a former federal prosecutor, who, for four years, has been aggressively rooting out misconduct as our Inspector General. We’ve created an independent Office of Compliance to prevent abuse of the hiring system and we continue to work with the federal monitor to do the same.”
About his former department head and and political ally, Daley said: “I feel for Al Sanchez and his family today because I knew him to be a hardworking employee, committed to do his best to serve the people of Chicago.”
Sanchez, 61, was a coordinator with HDO. He faced seven counts of mail fraud in all, which accused him of taking part in the scheme to give out taxpayer perks to individuals who worked in political campaigns.
Taking the stand in his own defense last week, Sanchez denied being part of the scheme, saying his efforts were to empower Hispanics and bring them into the workplace. Sanchez testified that it was the Intergovernmental Affairs Office that controlled hiring.
“You want to talk about alleys? I’ll talk about alleys,” the white-haired Sanchez told the jury last week. “I don’t know about personnel a lot.”
In an often argumentative stint on the stand, Sanchez insisted “I’m an operational guy. You know what I do? I make lemonade out of lemons.”
Today, Sanchez said he answered every question honestly when he was on the stand.
Among those hired under Sanchez was Denise Garcia Cortez who worked with HDO and got a job as a city driver. She’s had five accidents since her 2002 hiring, including one that injured a co-worker.
Former personnel director Jack Drumgould testified that Cortez’s test scores when she applied for her job were doctored.
Cortez admitted on the stand she applied for her job not at City Hall — but at a club where HDO met.
On trial with Sanchez was Del Valle, a onetime aldermanic candidate who is accused of lying to a grand jury about his role.
Del Valle, 36, was a $70,000-a-year assistant general superintendent under Sanchez in the Department of Streets and Sanitation. He left the department to be a Chicago cop and, while still with the police department, ran an unsuccessful campaign to be alderman of the 25th ward.
During that campaign, in February 2007, he was called before a grand jury to testify about his involvement with HDO. He also told the grand jury he didn’t know anything about efforts to get Ambrosio Medrano, one of his opponents in the aldermanic race, kicked off the ballot over Medrano’s prior felony conviction.
Contributing: Annie Sweeney
Sanchez convicted of rigging city hiring
March 23, 2009 5:10 PM |
Al Sanchez, the former commissioner of the city’s Streets and Sanitation Department in the Daley administration, was convicted this afternoon on charges he rigged city hiring by trading jobs for campaign work.
“I just did my job the way I was supposed to do it,” Sanchez said as he left the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after jurors convicted him on four counts of mail fraud and acquitted him on three other mail fraud counts.
Sanchez insisted he was trying to ensure that the city’s work force was representative of its diverse population. “I guess it’s a federal crime.
“I just don’t even think I should be in this position,” Sanchez added. “We all had a job to do, and we did it.”
Former Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez leaves the Dirksen federal courthouse today after jurors convicted him of rigging city jobs.
Sanchez, 61, is the highest-ranking aide to Mayor Richard Daley to be found guilty in the federal corruption probe of City Hall hiring.
The jury also convicted Aaron Delvalle, Sanchez’s former assistant, on a perjury charge for lying to a grand jury about the rigged hiring.
Sanchez’s lawyer, Thomas Breen, said he was “a little mystified” by the verdict.
Breen said Sanchez had “fought discrimination, fought racism and fought for his people.” He worked 24 hours a day “to earn the people’s trust and respect,” he said.
Breen said it was “hypocrisy” for city officials higher-ranking than Sanchez to skate by. “No one has had the guts to come forward and take responsibility for it (the hiring system),” he said.
“I don’t understand why Al Sanchez has been singled out,” Breen told reporters.
One juror, Arlene Kaminski of the western suburbs, said the jury was split when deliberations began, though a majority favored conviction. The jury then went count by count, flipping through their notes to recount testimony, she said.
The jury ended up convicting Sanchez on counts where there were witnesses who were able to testify with specifics.
Kaminski said she was aware of hiring issues in the city as a whole. “It’s been going on from way back. It doesn’t make it right,” she said.
Asked about Breen’s argument that city higher-ups should also face scrutiny, Kaminski said, “The buck has got to stop somewhere.”
She said she hoped the verdict would send a message to City Hall.
“And I think us saying what we did, it says everybody’s aware of what’s going on and let’s clean it up.”
Daley released a statement late in the day insisting, “Let’s be clear: I never have or ever will support any activity that is illegal.
“The jury has reached its decision. I accept their verdict,” he added. “But I also believe it’s fair to remind people that today’s decision was based on allegations from years ago. We have since implemented many reforms, including the appointment of a former federal prosecutor who, for four years, has been aggressively rooting out misconduct as our inspector general.
“I feel for Al Sanchez and his family today because I knew him to be a hardworking employee, committed to do his best to serve the people of Chicago.”
Prosecutors alleged that for more than a decade Sanchez was a leading figure in a pervasive scheme to corrupt city hiring. He and others close to him doled out jobs and promotions in return for campaign work, the government charged.
During closing arguments in the trial, Breen told the jury that Sanchez was interested in public service and getting minorities on the city rolls, so he had to work within the system established by the mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Breen said Sanchez had to deal with a system in which politicians gave cushy jobs to whites in the Aviation Department and in the Streets and Sanitation Department’s electricity bureau while minorities were stuck chasing rats and cleaning alleys.
Prosecutors dismissed the claim that Sanchez was a pawn by telling jurors the former Daley aide had to be in on hiring fraud for it to be so pervasive in his department, the city’s largest with more than 4,000 employees.
Sanchez helped build a powerful political group — the Hispanic Democratic Organization — by steering hundreds of jobs to operatives who campaigned for Daley and other politicians.
The cycle perpetuated itself as HDO got its candidates elected and grew in influence, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Manish Shah.
— Jeff Coen and Dan Mihalopoulos
God Bless Chicago Clout! Nice work Patrick!
The comments left on the Tribune and Suntimes after stories of city hall corruption and Al Sanchez are daunting. There has to be a movement finally to get rid of Daley. He is despised and hated by tons of people. Throw in this parking meter fiasco of his making and I really think his term of office is up. I heard of a poll which was being discussed on wls am radio that was conducted by a major newspaper showed little Dick Daley with only 30% approval rating. O’brien the alderman or Sandi Jackson the pipsqueaks wife should run for mayor cause either would win. I would vote for anybody but this crooked Bas%^@(!
I hope your right about Daley finally being charged. When that happens, (I can’t believe it will cause I think Fitzgerald has taken an oath to defend Daley from prosecution) where will you be hosting the party at? Let us all know so we can celebrate together.
Good writing Patrick.
I think you are a good man.
One thing regarding what you said about “I hope the crooks understand the Jury system in this country works. Patrick McDonough.”
It works sometimes.
Sometimes it doesn’t work.
O.J.Simpson got away with murder.
You mentioned Alex V. in your article. Lets call him what he was. Daleys hatchet man. Check the cases he worked on. Anyone who didn’t play ball with the Mayor got the ax. Get and read the depostion transcripts from the upcoming Pat M case. There’s proof of cover up and coruption all through the document. Contact some of the people who gave testimony and aget the real story.
Al Sanchez is a criminal and all around horrible human being for many reasons beyond what came up at trial or the charges or convictions.
Al Sanchez has an interesting history since he brought money to the El Rukn street gang with than State Rep Larry Bullock at the behest of his then master Ed Vrdolyak–the money for the El Rukns was for them to support Jane Byrne in 1983–the El Rukns (former Black P Stone Nation) including the Apache Rangers took the money and supported Harold Washington.
Al Sanchez ran on the Solidarity ticket with Ed Vrdolyak against Harold Washington in 1987 (I can’t remember if it was for City Clerk or City Treasurer) and than became a Republican. Sanchez remained a Republican and Vrdolyak aligned for only a short period of time because he quickly went with Mayor Richard M. Daley in time for his 1989 mayoral victory through a deal for jobs brokered by Gilbert “Chiefy” Delgado aka “Thiefy” (a long criminal record–and known as a theif) and Mayoral Boss Tim Degnan.
A brief digression here–Gilbert “Chiefy” Delgado aka Thiefy’s brother Dominic Delgado had Delgado erection and got lots of political affirmative action contracts through Victor Reyes but also since the days of Vrdolyak being in charge. An investigation just into the Delgado contracts would reveal a lot.
Senator Tim Degnan from Bridgeport was known as a degenerate gambler and was into the outfit for 90G back in the late 70s and early 80s. Degnan had an outfit bookie and a major gambling problem. Degnan is involved with Roti relative Tommy DiPiazza aka Tommy D on the Brideport Village deal. Degnan along with Freddie Barbara (identified in Family Secrets Frank Calabrese trial as a made member of LCN and committed violent acts including arson in an Elmwood Park restaurant and extortion), Al Sanchez and Victor Reyes have a very kinky deal going with ALLIED WASTE–so don’t worry about Statute of Limitations or that Reyes or Degnan are out of government.
Degnan is the power behind the thrown and the shadow mayor along with Jeremiah “Jerry” Joyce.
HDO was created by Degnan and used by Degnan and Joyce and is about as far from “Latino empowerment” as you get.
Al Sanchez is a unique scumbag insofar as he is an alcholic (well documented in arrests, car accidents and plenty of eye witnesses), cocaine addict (he hooked his wife and she died–the story of his wife’s death is a story in and of itself), drunk driver, violent, bad drunk, power drunk, power hungry, mean, loud mouthed, vindicitve, low class individual.
Just google or Lexis some old news articles about Al Sanchez crashing his car and a shadow car leaving the scene where he was not the driver (city car) or getting pulled over and accusing the cop of racism on the tollway and saying “do you know who I am” or bar fights, car crashes, drunk driving pull overs that disappeared–read the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Daily Southtown–or talk to cops willing to talk. Al Sanchez and most of the HDO guys were pigs.
Aaron DelValle was the guy who went drunk with a gun to the towing pound after a political event with State rep and cop Eddie Acevedo and threatened the workers and tried to get their car out of the tow, punched a cop and sued the city for abuse and got thrown out of court.
Real scumbags.
Al Sanchez got plenty of drug dealers jobs like Gil Valadez (allegedly just lost his CTA job and previously lost his city job for not revealing he was a convicted felon–he smoked a crack rock on CTA time)
Gil Valadez was not only a drug dealer but also an informant.
GILBERT VALADEZ federal felony convict in federal penitentary and rat.
Larry “the Beaver” Diaz is another story and more on that later.
Also Ray Gamboas youthful indiscretions are interesting.
The gang ties are interesting.
Friends of Al’s wife Tina want to know if he knew about Flo or Maria Nino (who became the bigshot at Personnel and was involved in taking out Ray Frias in 2003)
Al Sanchez would raise money on city time (just ask Marshall Villanueva). Thiefy Delgado would extort money on his birthday and always want cash in a mean thuggy way. Al Sanchez knew about money for jobs, sex for jobs, bribes, extortion, misuse of city services, drug dealing, drug use, gang affiliations, beating people up, adultery, picking up garbage for favored private businesses, plowing snow for favored restaurants.
Al Sanchez is proud of the job he did at Streets and Sans but garbage is terrible in many parts of a very dirty city (not just the front of downtown and Lincoln Park) Al Sanchez ruined the Blue Bag recycling program.
Al Sanchez increased taxpayers property taxes as well as fees with questionable and corrupt towing practices, recycling, and Hired Trucks.
Al Sanchez dealt intimately with Angelo Torres the former gang banger of Hired Trucks fame.
Al Sanchez also dealt with HDO member and donor to HDO and former 2-6 gang banger Tony Munoz–George Prado and his heroin dealing ring.
Al Sanchez hired Roberto “Bobby Bull” Aguilar who served 80% of a 5 year Federal drug charge and former drug dealer.
Al Sanchez is a criminal and all around horrible human being for many reasons beyond what came up at trial or the charges or convictions.
Al Sanchez has an interesting history since he brought money to the El Rukn street gang with than State Rep Larry Bullock at the behest of his then master Ed Vrdolyak–the money for the El Rukns was for them to support Jane Byrne in 1983–the El Rukns (former Black P Stone Nation) including the Apache Rangers took the money and supported Harold Washington.
Al Sanchez ran on the Solidarity ticket with Ed Vrdolyak against Harold Washington in 1987 (I can’t remember if it was for City Clerk or City Treasurer) and than became a Republican. Sanchez remained a Republican and Vrdolyak aligned for only a short period of time because he quickly went with Mayor Richard M. Daley in time for his 1989 mayoral victory through a deal for jobs brokered by Gilbert “Chiefy” Delgado aka “Thiefy” (a long criminal record–and known as a theif) and Mayoral Boss Tim Degnan.
A brief digression here–Gilbert “Chiefy” Delgado aka Thiefy’s brother Dominic Delgado had Delgado erection and got lots of political affirmative action contracts through Victor Reyes but also since the days of Vrdolyak being in charge. An investigation just into the Delgado contracts would reveal a lot.
Senator Tim Degnan from Bridgeport was known as a degenerate gambler and was into the outfit for 90G back in the late 70s and early 80s. Degnan had an outfit bookie and a major gambling problem. Degnan is involved with Roti relative Tommy DiPiazza aka Tommy D on the Brideport Village deal. Degnan along with Freddie Barbara (identified in Family Secrets Frank Calabrese trial as a made member of LCN and committed violent acts including arson in an Elmwood Park restaurant and extortion), Al Sanchez and Victor Reyes have a very kinky deal going with ALLIED WASTE–so don’t worry about Statute of Limitations or that Reyes or Degnan are out of government.
Degnan is the power behind the thrown and the shadow mayor along with Jeremiah “Jerry” Joyce.
HDO was created by Degnan and used by Degnan and Joyce and is about as far from “Latino empowerment” as you get.
Al Sanchez is a unique scumbag insofar as he is an alcholic (well documented in arrests, car accidents and plenty of eye witnesses), cocaine addict (he hooked his wife and she died–the story of his wife’s death is a story in and of itself), drunk driver, violent, bad drunk, power drunk, power hungry, mean, loud mouthed, vindicitve, low class individual.
Just google or Lexis some old news articles about Al Sanchez crashing his car and a shadow car leaving the scene where he was not the driver (city car) or getting pulled over and accusing the cop of racism on the tollway and saying “do you know who I am” or bar fights, car crashes, drunk driving pull overs that disappeared–read the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Daily Southtown–or talk to cops willing to talk. Al Sanchez and most of the HDO guys were pigs.
Aaron DelValle was the guy who went drunk with a gun to the towing pound after a political event with State rep and cop Eddie Acevedo and threatened the workers and tried to get their car out of the tow, punched a cop and sued the city for abuse and got thrown out of court.
Real scumbags.
Al Sanchez got plenty of drug dealers jobs like Gil Valadez (allegedly just lost his CTA job and previously lost his city job for not revealing he was a convicted felon–he smoked a crack rock on CTA time)
Gil Valadez was not only a drug dealer but also an informant.
GILBERT VALADEZ federal felony convict in federal penitentary and rat.
Larry “the Beaver” Diaz is another story and more on that later.
Also Ray Gamboas youthful indiscretions are interesting.
The gang ties are interesting.
Friends of Al’s wife Tina want to know if he knew about Flo or Maria Nino (who became the bigshot at Personnel and was involved in taking out Ray Frias in 2003)
Al Sanchez would raise money on city time (just ask Marshall Villanueva). Thiefy Delgado would extort money on his birthday and always want cash in a mean thuggy way. Al Sanchez knew about money for jobs, sex for jobs, bribes, extortion, misuse of city services, drug dealing, drug use, gang affiliations, beating people up, adultery, picking up garbage for favored private businesses, plowing snow for favored restaurants.
Al Sanchez is proud of the job he did at Streets and Sans but garbage is terrible in many parts of a very dirty city (not just the front of downtown and Lincoln Park) Al Sanchez ruined the Blue Bag recycling program.
Al Sanchez increased taxpayers property taxes as well as fees with questionable and corrupt towing practices, recycling, and Hired Trucks.
Al Sanchez dealt intimately with Angelo Torres the former gang banger of Hired Trucks fame.
Al Sanchez also dealt with HDO member and donor to HDO and former 2-6 gang banger Tony Munoz–George Prado and his heroin dealing ring.
Al Sanchez hired Roberto “Bobby Bull” Aguilar who served 80% of a 5 year Federal drug charge and former drug dealer.
Daley made sure he kept the streets plowed, But now he plowed the taxpayers and it’s 1978 all over again but this storm wont go away in 2 weeks:::::
:Drivers’ anger over meters boiling over into a boycott
March 25, 2009
BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist
‘Boycott’ may not be too strong a word after all. I’m talking about Chicago parking meters and the fury out there right now about what the mayor and the City Council have done by selling off our meters to a private company for $1.2 billion. And the rage over what that company, formed by Morgan Stanley, and its subcontractor, LAZ Parking, have done by meteorically raising rates, blanketing cars with tickets and eliminating free Sunday parking. Adding insult to injury, these private contractors have done a rotten job of posting new rates and times on meters.
As a result, drivers stick their quarter in only to discover it now buys a measly seven minutes and can require 28 quarters to park for two hours.
» Click to enlarge image
Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin
Your raging e-mails came roaring in after my Sunday column, in which I noted what you apparently noticed, too. That suddenly there are scads of empty metered parking s-p-a-c-e-s downtown where cars just a month ago were bumper to bumper. Could this, I asked, signal a citizen boycott, or was boycott too strong a word?
“Personally, I’m in full boycott mode,” replied a computer consultant who does business in the city. “I’ll stand on my head to . . . spare myself an onsite visit if street parking is involved.”
He added this: “Because of the outrageous 10.25 percent Cook County sales tax, I go out of my way to make my purchases outside the county . . . To hell with Chicago.”
A teacher who lives in the South Loop along Printer’s Row wrote, “Now I have to wake up at 7:30 on Sunday so that I can move my car. Many of the businesses in my area are not even open on Sundays. My street is like a ghost town. It’s lost its vibrancy. . . . I have some friends that live in areas where meters are 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I don’t know how they’re coping.”
But the most compelling letter came from a young woman named Tasha Huebner, who is being treated for breast cancer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital just off the Inner Drive. In the fall, before the meters went private, Huebner might have to circle awhile but could usually find a meter, put an extra quarter or two in it to avoid being ticketed, and go in for her radiation.
“Fast forward to last Friday,” she e-mailed, “when I had 2 follow-up appointments with doctors . . . I’d been stockpiling quarters . . . since I knew I’d need quite a few. I find a spot, no problem (there are actually a lot of spots open, hmmm). Put in a quarter . . . and see that it only got me 7 minutes. 7. I start thinking — I’m there early, and I’ll be there for a while . . . they might run late so I need to build some cushion time in. So I calculate all that, realize that I don’t have 8 pounds of quarters with me, and also realize that I could either pay $7-8 for street parking (and I’d have to dash back in between appointments to put more money in), OR I could just park at Northwestern’s garage and get up to 7 hours of validated parking for $10. I drove off to park in the garage. Thinking, ‘Screw you, Daley.’ “
Mayor Daley was quoted in the Tribune a couple of days ago as saying, “Let’s not blame this new company. There will be complaints, but like anything else, they will get to those complaints.”
They don’t seem to be in much of a hurry, mayor.
Oh, and you know those un-elected private contractors you’ve allowed to operate our parking meters for the next 75 years? They do an abysmal job of answering questions and, in the case of subcontractor LAZ Parking, an arrogant job of not calling back.
In 1979, lousy snow removal sparked a voter rebellion and booted a mayor.
Could parking meters be the new snow?
VOTE OUT DALEY!!! VOTE OUT DALEY!!! SOMEBODY BETTER STEP UP TO THE PLATE!!! VOTE OUT DALEY!!!
Pension funds may not cooperate on subpoena
March 26, 2009
BY FRANK MAIN, FRAN SPIELMAN AND TIM NOVAK Staff Reporters
Trustees for at least two city pension funds are considering stonewalling Chicago’s inspector general over a subpoena for records involving their investments with a company co-owned by one of Mayor Daley’s nephews.
The funds invested millions of dollars in DV Urban Realty Partners, founded by Daley nephew Robert Vanecko and Allison Davis, a mayoral supporter whose law firm once employed Barack Obama.
At their last meeting, trustees for the police fund voiced opposition to the subpoena. They’re meeting again today. An attorney for another city pension fund has contacted Inspector General David Hoffman’s office to say its trustees also plan to refuse his subpoena, according to sources who would not identify that fund.
Hoffman refused to discuss his investigation.
The police fund has committed $15 million to DV Urban Realty, which has drawn $5 million of that so far. The investment has dwindled as the economy has tanked.
Many officers and detectives are outraged by the investment, which they view as a political favor to Daley’s family. Officer Mike Shields was recently elected as a trustee on a platform criticizing the deal.
At the last trustees’ meeting, he supported cooperating with Hoffman, pointing out that the pension is funded with officers’ salaries and taxpayer money. But fellow trustees strongly disagreed, sources said.
Five city pension funds have agreed to invest $68 million with DV Urban Realty, which gets thousands of dollars in management fees for managing the pension money. DV Urban plans to use the pension funds to redevelop neglected neighborhoods, including those around Washington Park — key to the mayor’s plans for the 2016 Olympics.
The pension fund investments with Vanecko and Davis were first disclosed by the Chicago Sun-Times in September 2007. Several pension fund representatives said they were never told Vanecko was the mayor’s nephew. Vanecko is the eldest grandchild of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley.
Davis has gotten millions of dollars in government funds to develop hundreds of low-income housing, often with convicted influence-peddler Tony Rezko.
I am a former ward superintendent for the city of Chicago in the department of Streets and San. Al Sanchez was commissioner at the time, and I can tell you, he was no saint! As soon as he walked into the room to interview me he said, “I don’t like you.” This bastard didn’t even know me!
Even though I got hired, he made a point of trying to downplay my work performance; asked very derogatory questions about me; and in the end, fired me with the alderperson who hired me blessing.
But what goes around comes around. Everyone who had a hand in me being fired has been convicted: Troutman, Sanchez, Sullivan, and Slattery. They might have been able to take a job from me, but I rather be without a job than doing prison time.