Friday was a day off for most Department of Water Management Employees. The 48Th Ward was packed with major repairs from Mayor Daley contractors today. Chicago Contractors were working Saturday at time and one half!!! One of the contractors that sparked an interest with me is Smith Maintenance. Smith, as far as I remember, was involved with Daley in the Chicago Harbors. As far as I can make it, Daley gave a multi-million dollar deal to Benchmark Construction to dummy up the sewers and basins in Chicago. Jay Levine, the chief correspondent for CBS 2 Chicago, was real close when he was on to Kenny Construction and the Sewer lining deal. Again Jay found another sub-contractor doing the work. This contract is a phony patch and a real nice deal for another one of Daley buddies. The variation on the theme is Benchmark Construction, which sub-contracted Smith maintenance. Smith is completing the work for Daley contractor of choice. The almost 30 million dollar sewer contract also has Minority Business and Woman’s owned Business’s cut of about 28%. So the question is who is doing the work? Why continue to have work for minority contractors when people are out of work? In this picture you will also see, American Surveying Consultants. Mayor Daley likes Hispanic owned businesses to handle the engineering. Unemployed Chicagoans are too stupid I guess. I will make one thing very simple to those who do not understand Chicago politics. Daley has a special systems for contracts, bids, racket protection, and phony minority cut-ins, right until payday. If you get a ticket for pollution, shortchanging the terms of the contracts, the house drain inspectors will look the other way, the Chicago Department of Environmental Inspectors like Mark Pantaleo will not write tickets, Chicago Department of Water Management staff will not enforce the contracts, the Office of the Inspector General will do nothing, and Scott D. Sachnoff, Senior Counsel of municipal Prosecutions Division under Mara Georges, will allow staff to cut deals prior to the actual court date and times. This is how money is made in Chicago folks, when Daley’s friends get the bid, they do not enforce the rules. I think the FBI needs a little phone call, got a dime? Photo by Patrick McDonough