Office of Inspector General still fooling around last week

Last week, four city of Chicago, Department of Water Management employees went to the Office of the Inspector General for an assault that happened over one year ago. One driver was sent to central district while the “investigation” took place. Could you imagine the money spent not even including the truck and driver dispatched to drive them all downtown? I think the three employees in the south district should make sure they call their Alderman and get off the hook. I want to know why the OIG waits so long, when memories are faded, and employees forget what happened. We will keep an eye on the outcome of this craziness. Taxpayers pay five employees to wait around most the day, at least two OIG investigators (I use the term loosely), and various DOWM staff to monitor and coordinate. This is costing the taxpayers thousands for the dog and pony show. The Inspector General looks the other way when complaints are made against politically connected employees. Amazing. I thought Rahm Emanuel was going to change Business as Usual. Patrick McDonough

Paul "Manson" Hansen DUI UPDATE Inspector General still does nothing

Paul Hansen City of Chicago 2.jpg
From the Chicago DUI Blog. Who keeps covering up for Paul Hansen, lets add the Office of the Inspector General. More on Paul Hansen soon. Seems all the complaints Paul Hansen has gotten into is still covered-up by bosses. What happened to the assault claims and the claims at the Illinois Department of Human Rights? Please read this blog update on Paul Hansen. Rahm Emanuel talks a big game, but he needs to control his goons. Enjoy.. Former Ald. Bernie Hansen’s Son Gets Promoted After DUI Stop
By Steven Tanner on December 23, 2010 9:07 AM
Just six months after he was put on unpaid leave for a DUI arrest, Chicago Department of Water Management employee Paul Hansen was given a job promotion, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His father just so happens to be former Ald. Bernie Hansen (44th).
Paul Hansen is Chicago’s new district superintendent of water distribution, a $103,632 position that netted him a 6 percent raise.
But while an Examiner story about the promotion suggests the former politician’s son benefited from nepotism, the Sun-Times article seemed to conclude that he’s just really good at what he does and deserved the job. In any event, it’s certainly awkward timing.
Paul Hansen was stopped for speeding, told the officer he had “four or five” beers and was questioned for DUI. He refused a breathalyzer test but was charged with DUI anyway; then he pleaded guilty to reckless driving and had his license suspended for a year.
It’s not clear whether he used his connections, as the Examiner suggested, or just had a really good Chicago DUI lawyer.
The Examiner didn’t cite any sources indicating a conflict of interests or the presence of other shenanigans.
After he was arrested, he reportedly asked the officer “if something could be worked out,” stating he knew the state’s attorney, according to the Sun-Times. That certainly should raise a few eyebrows.
The Sun-Times article indicated he formally applied for the job, was tested and interviewed with a federal hiring monitor present and was reviewed by the inspector general. Mayoral aide Lisa Schrader said the IG “found no issues with the hiring process and no basis to object.”
Water Management spokesman Tom LaPorte called Paul Hansen a “very effective employee” who “gets things done.”
Most Chicago DUI lawyers would tell you that drunk driving never helps your career. And while there’s no factual indication that Paul Hansen is corrupt, his story still raises questions.

More thefts at Dept. of Water Management 4900 West Sunnyside

September 17, 2012, a DOWM employee alleged more thefts occurred on his truck. Today the department was looking for someone to take the blame for the continuing thefts. Seems some guys cannot take any blame for anything. That is how you move up the ladder. Cowards. I have a solution, but that would make it hard for the guys with addictions. Time the Office of the Inspector General to do their job. I do not know how many times the Commissioner will allow this to continue. While on vacation, all my city tools were cleaned out, again. A police report was made. Nothing done, again. We need General Superintendent John King to return.

Illinois State Rep. Luis Arroyo needs Chicago Water Department Help

State Rep Luis Arroyo.jpg One of the better State Representatives in Illinois is from the 33rd District, Luis Arroyo. Rep. Arroyo is very calm and unflappable. He has a good sense of humor and is currently working on his new offices. Yes, he has permits, thanks! Luis needed the water shut off and called his friends at the Department of Water Management. Patrick McDonough and Ronald Bober responded and made sure a leak crew would come to the rescue later that night. Rep. Arroyo did not ask for any extra special favors from the department. He asked me about his son, who is doing a great job with the teamsters at the Water Department. I told him his son works very hard and is a good example for fellow employees. We also talked about some employees that are “rough around the edges”. Luis Arroyo is doing a good job for the community and enjoyed his picture with Ronald Bober, a hard working member of Laborer’s Union. When great public servants want the Water Department’s best employees, they call for Truck 1308. Thank for the words of wisdom Rep. Luis Arroyo!!! Photo by Patrick McDonough

Chicago Gangs muscle into Chicago Water Department Drug Business

DOWM Signs.jpg
On September 10, 2012, the City of Chicago Department of Water Management employees got an important notice from the gangs of Chicago’s North Side. The Water Department drug trade in Heroin, Coke, Meth, and pills has got some attention from neighboring gangs such as the “Almighty Harrison Gents”. Despite many reports of the ongoing activity in the department, the Water Department still refuses to have a full drug enforcement policy. Each and every employee should be tested as soon as possible. Management is non-existent in the North District located at 4900 West Sunnyside. This facility is Union run and running into the ground. Despite several complaints to the authorities, the lack of drug testing is making the place difficult to work at. This tag was made from a powerful gang know as Hustlers and Gangsters. Several employees at the Water Department said they belong to this gang. Also, some employees decided to step forward and make sure employees finally got supplies for their trucks so they could do their job. Department trucks are robbed and cleaned out on a regular basis. The gang does not even care the Chicago Police fill up their gas tanks right were the tag was made. This tag was made at a fuel depot for the City. Enough of the cover-ups Mayor Rahm Emanuel, time to stop fundraising and do something about this mess. Honest City Workers are tired of drug dealers running our department. Stop making idiots run the department and blame everyone for their own failures. Photo by Patrick McDonough.

Chicago Police Officer Kevin Duffy vs. Judge Haberkorn of Park Ridge

Hello Chicago Clout fans and I want you to take interest in what could be best described as Judicial Misconduct. I could also call this story much to do about nothing until Clout takes over. I'll tell this story as fair as I can, but as a City of Chicago employee, I hope I can explain what happens when someone has clout. I stumbled upon this story as I am working on several police misconduct cases while we speak. Many misconduct cases are sweep under the rug when a cop has clout. I have witnessed several black kids getting their heads beat by Chicago Cops and nothing was ever done. I have also watched many brave cops complete their duty without as much as a thank you. That goes with the territory in Chicago. The two decades of Daley and his henchmen has destroyed our faith in Chicago Government. The current problem is the clowns Daley put in charge are the same goofs promoting more of their kind into positions of power. The circle of stupidity continues. The taxpayer keeps getting slaughtered with lawsuits and disgruntled workers. I am hoping Chicago Clout Michael Volpe can do an in-depth interview with Kevin Duffy and or his Attorney Blake Horwitz of Chicago.
Here is the story short form, the Kevin Duffy story with-out giving away personal details. There is a large office complex in Park Ridge and next to it is a large condominium Complex with multiple floors. At least four that I can remember as a friend of mine lived there. (March of 2008) Officer Kevin Duffy was parked in the office building parking lot late at night. He alleged he was smoking a cigar. He was in his personal vehicle. He was standing outside his car and as best I can tell, walking around puffing on the cigar. There are small shrubs and some small trees at the site. Some video evidence exists but it is not available for some reason. It seems in documents; Catherine Habercorn was worried four stories up in the air about Kevin's car and Kevin in the parking lot. It seems Catherine Haberkorn was so scared about this mystery man in the office parking lot, she had her daughter "at a high rate of speed" chase Kevin to get his License Plates. Some of the documents also accuse Kevin flashing his headlights into a "forth story residence". How in the hell is that possible? I think at best it might have been possible his tires might have squeaked on the smooth blacktop when he made a turn since he had a new car.
So it looks like a simple story and we all go home? No, Judge Catherine Haberkorn has clout and Kevin Duffy does not. Several branches of investigative authorities put the poor guy through the ringer which almost destroyed his career. I am not surprised many of the official reports have spelling errors and conflicting statements. Chicago Clout is going to closely watch the upcoming election of Judge Catherine Haberkorn. I hope the media takes a closer look at this loose cannon. Many Judges hide behind their robes and misuse their power. Enough is enough. Patrick McDonough

The Chicago Way is to Deny Voters a Choice at the Polls by Jay Stone

Sixty Percent of State Legislative Candidates from Chicago Ran Unopposed
The way the Chicago machine churns out votes and victories is unconstitutional and unAmerican. The Chicago machine can't deny citizens their right to vote because election fraud of this kind is too obvious. Instead the Chicago political mafia devised a more devious and subtle way to maintain its death grip on the City of Chicago and state of Illinois politics. The machine put its people in charge of elections to keep candidates who are unaffiliated with the machine from appearing on the ballot. In the elections between 2004 and 2010, Chicago voters had two options in 60% of the state representative and state senate races: either vote for the machine candidate or not vote at all. The machine's philosophy is, "You have your right to vote as long as you vote for one of ours."
The Chicago Board of Elections (CBOE) and the Illinois General Assembly who empowered the CBOE are responsible for so many state legislative candidates running unopposed. The machine's legislators in the state capitol passed a law to deliberately give the CBOE a disproportionate number of state representative and state senator elections to conduct and certify.
There is a reason why the machine wants the CBOE to conduct as many elections as possible; a third generation machine politician named Langdon Neal is the CBOE chairman. Neal's law firm has received over $100 million in suspicious no-bid city contracts and Neal himself has collected over $11 million in fees to lobby the same politicians whose elections he conducted and certified. When non-machine state legislative candidates file to run against machine candidates, Neal and his CBOE underlings apply election laws created by machine legislators to deny non-machine candidates ballot access. In other words, Illinois state legislators protect their jobs with anti-competition election laws that they wrote and passed.
Neal has earned an estimated income of $30 to $40 million off of taxpayers during his 16 years as CBOE chairman. Neal has a huge, personal financial incentive to use his CBOE authority to rule in favor of machine politicians because the elected officials Neal certified to hold office are steering no-bid contracts his way and provide cozy lobbying relationships for him and his clients.
Chicago's population of 2.7 million people comprises 21% of the 12.9 million Illinois residents. And yet, the CBOE is in charge of 34% of the state representative and state senator elections (60 state legislative districts under CBOE authority divided by 177 total Illinois state legislative districts = 34%). The corruption that starts at the top of the CBOE with Chairman Neal's suspicious no-bid contracts and lobbying business ends with the machine candidates running unopposed 60% of the time. The CBOE's systematic denial of non-machine candidates' ballot access is one of the main reasons why Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan has remained Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives for 27 years in spite of Illinois being in the worst financial shape of any state in the nation.
CBOE Denial of Candidates' Ballot Access Comes from State Law
There are two main state laws that expanded the CBOE's authority to deny ballot access to non-machine candidates. The first law gave the CBOE the right conduct and certify elections when only part of state legislative district is in Chicago. If a portion of a ward or even a part of a precinct is in Chicago, a state law (See 10 ILCS 5/6-26, 3. Jurisdiction) gives the CBOE jurisdiction over the election. The CBOE is the only election board in the state of Illinois that conducts elections outside of the election board's territory. Thanks to this special jurisdictional state law for the City of Chicago, the CBOE has the authority over several more state legislative races each election season.
The second state law that increased the CBOE's power allows the CBOE to conduct quasi-judicial hearing. Previously, the circuit court determined whether or not candidates were granted ballot access. Currently the CBOE hires hearing officers to review an objector's challenge to a candidate's nominating petitions prior to each election. CBOE honchos make sure that they only hire hearing officers who follow orders and decide election cases in favor of the machine's candidates whenever possible. For example, CBOE hearing officers recently invalidated 72% of the signatures that nine Republican candidates submitted to the CBOE. Consequently, the CBOE denied ballot access to all nine Republican candidates, and now nine Democrats will not have an opponent in the November, 2012 election.
52% of Democratic State Senate Candidates Ran Uncontested between 2004 and 2010
Tables 1 and 2 summarize all state senate elections between 2004 and 2010. Fifty-two percent (52%) of Chicago's Democratic candidates for state senate had no opposition. No Republican candidate under the authority of the CBOE had the luxury of running for state senate unopposed. Given that Democrats have ruled Springfield for so long, a high percentage of uncontested Democratic state senate candidates is not surprising. Democrats continually passed election laws, such as the two laws that expanded the CBOE's power, to insure their candidates for state senate ran unopposed.
Contested and Uncontested State Senate Elections1
Year
Total Elections
Contested Elections
Uncontested Democrats
Uncontested Republicans
2010
6
2
4
0
2008
16
7
9
0
2006
14
9
5
0
2004
8
3
5
0
2004 to 2010 totals
44
21
23
0
Table 1
2004 to 2010 State Senate Elections in Percents
Year
% of Uncontested Democrats
% of Uncontested Republicans
2010
67%
0%
2008
56%
0%
2006
36%
0%
2004
53%
0%
2004 to 2010 total percent
52%
0%
Table 2
58% of State Representative Candidates Ran Uncontested between 2004 and 2010
Tables 3 and 4 summarize all of Chicago's state representative elections between 2004 and 2010. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the Democratic candidates for state representative had had no opposition. Six Republican candidates for state representative were lucky enough to run unopposed. Nonetheless, a Democratic candidate for state representative is 15 times more likely to have no opposition than a Republican candidate.
Contested and Uncontested State Rep Elections
Year
Total Elections
Contested Elections
Uncontested Democrats
Uncontested Republicans
2010
39
11
26
2
2008
39
12
26
1
2006
39
19
18
2
2004
39
17
21
1
2004 to 2010 totals
156
59
91
6
Table 3
State Representative Elections in Percent
Year
% of Uncontested Democrats
% of Uncontested Republicans
2010
67%
5%
2008
67%
3%
2006
46%
5%
2004
54%
3%
2004 to 2010 total percent
58%
4%
Table 4
Referendums: Another Way the Machine Denies Voters their Right to Self-Govern
The denial of the voters' right to choose doesn't end with 60% of the machine's state legislative candidates running unopposed. As with candidates, the same is true for referendums. The Illinois General Assembly–which Chicago machine legislators rule with absolute authority–made sure the people of Chicago could not enact their own laws through a referendum. According to state law, Chicago referendums can only be advisory, not binding. The state law that limits Chicago referendums to only advisory information is most likely unconstitutional because citizens have a right to self-determination.
Limiting the number of referendums to three per election is yet another way the machine denies voters their right to self-govern. Recently the three referendum limit per ballot law was used to stop the grassroots movement of an elected school board. When Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his puppet aldermen heard a referendum for an elected school board in the works, they pushed through three meaningless referendums. Since state law only allows three advisory referendums on any given ballot, Chicago residents will not be able vote for or against an elected school board.
The Chicago Way Must End
Democratic state legislators are not winning their elections based on their ability, merit, or selfless public service. Manipulating election laws is the sole reason Democrats control the Illinois General Assembly. The longer Democrats are in power, the more they will continue their practice of using election laws to suppress or eliminate their political opposition.
The General Assembly has performed poorly for years,. Rather than holding the general assemblymen more accountable for their lousy job performance, Democratic state legislators have made it increasing more difficult to challenge them. The U.S. trend is to reduce the obstacles for candidates to access the ballot. Instead Illinois legislators aligned with the machine have purposely made ballot access more difficult. As the research in tables 1 through 4 show, the more restrictions state legislative candidates faced, the more Democratic candidates ran unopposed on election day.
The people of the state of Illinois will know the Chicago way is ending when nearly all of the candidates for state representative and state senate have an opponent. For the Chicago and State of Illinois political nightmare to end, voters need more than a few token candidates at the ballot box. The courts have reaffirmed numerous times that voters and candidates have an inalienable right to free speech and campaign for public office. Now more than ever the honest people of Illinois need to hear the voices of candidates and voters who are unaffiliated with the Chicago machine.
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Notes
1. To collect the data from tables 1 through 4 visit the CBOE's website. Click here, and select the "General Election" for 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. Next select the district for each state senate and state representative election.
The CBOE doesn't include candidates' political party when it lists general election results. For contested general elections view the preceding primary election to determine each candidate's party affiliation. Conducting an Internet search by a candidate's name is another way to determine the political party of a candidate.
About the Author
Jay Stone is neither a Democrat, nor a Republican. Jay is an independent who supports political competition, accountability, fairness, and good, honest government.
Special Thanks to Jay Stone and his father Alderman Stone for their unwavering support, Patrick D. McDonough 48th Ward Chicago, Illinois 60640