Category: Uncategorized

Read an excellent article by Fran Spielman of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Daley hiring chief quits
February 1, 2008
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
The top mayoral aide charged with implementing a city hiring system free of politics is leaving her $147,156-a-year job — six weeks after a federal hiring monitor accused the city of regressing in its efforts.
Jacqueline King has decided to return to her old job as head of Graphics and Reproduction. Underlings welcomed her departure. City Hall sources said they had chafed under her autocratic management style.
Jacqueline King in 2006.
King ordered 50 employees to reapply for their old jobs — or risk being fired — in a reorganization tied to the switch to computerized scoring and screening of job applicants. Employees told the Chicago Sun-Times they felt "stunned and betrayed" after learning of their fate on the Internet site Craigslist.
"Without a doubt, she was a tough manager. There are people who don't like that. There are a lot of people who disagree with her management style and they'd like you to believe she was run out of there," said mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard.
"I can tell you unequivocally she was not asked or forced to leave. This is her decision. She's tired of doing what she's been doing and she wants to go back to Graphics."
King could not be reached for comment. Heard denied that the change was tied to the monitor's report–or that it was a setback in the city's efforts to move beyond the city hiring scandal.
"If you read the monitor's last report, it had nothing bad to say about Jacky King," she said.
Federal monitor Noelle Brennan could not be reached for comment.
In her year-end report, Brennan accused the city of slipping backward — not with the "wholesale overt manipulation of interviews" on display during the federal corruption trial that culminated in the conviction of former patronage chief Robert Sorich, but with "other, more subtle types of manipulation of the hiring process."
Brennan said the alleged violations she uncovered in response to 685 complaints ran the gamut — from "hundreds" of city employees illegally "acting up" in higher-paid, temporary positions to the city's failure to "meaningfully enforce consequences for non-compliance."
The monitor branded as "an area of significant concern" Daley's failure to discipline current city employees "directly implicated in Shakman violations" during testimony at the Sorich trial.
"The city's ongoing failure to effectively monitor compliance with the reformed policy, coupled with the failure to take any disciplinary action when violations occur, is certain to result in on-going violations," she wrote.
A few weeks later, the federal judge who appointed Brennan agreed to let the Daley-created Office of Compliance oversee city hiring after Brennan's departure, instead of Inspector General David Hoffman.
But U.S. District Judge Wayne Andersen included two major safeguards: that the hiring czar not be a current or former city employee and have no ties to Chicago politics, and that the city maintain a log to keep track of the times when the mayor's office or politicians lobby department heads for jobs.
The city has agreed to create a $12 million fund to compensate victims of the city's rigged hiring system.
Well written Fran Spielman, Patrick McDonough

Please enjoy this picture of Alderman Howard Brookins and my daughter Brigid McDonough. Alderman Brookins is hoping to be the next States Attorney after Dick Devine. I know this race is up in the air, but good luck. http://www.aldermanhowardbrookinsjr.com/ Photo by Patrick McDonough

Remember, if you sleep through a broken water main, millions of dollars of damage will occur. This broken water main at Wolcott and Montrose will cost a fortune to repair. I was amazed at all the workers waiting around to do something. To leave all these city workers standing around doing nothing is mismanagement. It might look good for the night news, but the cost is staggering. I hope when that piece of pipe is cut out, Spatz will investigate the cause. If the broken pipe is left in the yard rusting like the Lincoln Park Water main break, nothing will be learned. This is the type of water main break where an expert like James LoVerde should have taken command. Why is he retired and not on the public payroll like the other political hacks at water partners. Photo by Patrick McDonough

Blocks away from the Ravenswood broken water main is a group of Chicago Firefighters. The damage from the broken water main spread for blocks because someone in charge refused to understand the seriousness of the water main break. We need personnel to either give this control back to the district level or make management go out to the job-site and determine the seriousness. The need for all these extra support staff proves the lack of professionalism in the North District Department of Water Management. Remember, a former Deli Manager at Jewel, is not a licensed plumber, although the taxpayer pays them the same amount of money. Time to take the politics out of the North District. Photo by Patrick McDonough.

The City of Chicago Department of Water Management North District dispatched an Investigator Crew last night. The crew called in the emergency and the person-in-charge did not authorize a crew to respond to the major emergency. After a three day weekend overtime feast consisting of time and one half, double time, and triple time, a choice was apparently made to not respond to this major emergency in a timely manner. I hope someone from the Mayor’s office reviews the time from the first 311 and or 911 call was made, until this 36 inch feeder main was shut down. I also want to know if personnel from the Central district was dispatched due to incompetence in the North District. I want to know when the Emergency Shoring was dispatched to the job. It was not. I want to know who let this get this far out of hand. I ask you, if Patrick McDonough was making repairs to 48 inch water mains all by himself, why does this water main repair require, the Fire Department, including a Command Center, the Gas Company,, the Electric Company, Streets and Sanitation Crews, Tow Trucks, The Sewer Department, Orange peels, vactors, Semi Trucks, Layers of Politicians, (I mean Water Department Management), Chicago Police, Traffic Aides, to name a part of the support staff. Bottom line, Incompetence cost money every time. According to Newspaper reports, the Department of Water Management has a monitoring system to avoid these breaks. These non-union companies are a scam deluxe and wasted money. They hire kids and workers that sleep while on the public dime. Who is getting a piece of that deal Boyz? The Chicago Inspector General is useless to regulate anything, so just pay more in taxes Chicago! The Montrose and Walcott water main break damage should have been avoided. Photo by Patrick McDonough.

Commissioner Frank Avila was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Avila has shows that feature children asking about our environment. If you are worried about global warming in Chicago and Cook County, re-elect Commissioner Frank Avila. Photo by Patrick McDonough.]]> Continue reading “Commissioner Avila wins Chicago Tribune Support”

Enjoy the article below. More lawsuits for Chicago City Workers at Taxpayer's expense. Patrick McDonough. Continue reading “Shakman Victories Continue for Chicago City Workers”

Thanks for the fun and the kindness. Patrick McDonough

The State of Illinois must continue to enforce the protection of Whistleblowers. The Chicago Whistleblower ordinance is a bust. Please read the article below from the Chicago Tribune. Patrick McDonough. Continue reading “State of Illinois addresses Whistleblower Issues”