Many people want to know how the City of Chicago and Plumber’s Local 130 dye the Chicago River Green. The newspapers call the mixture “Irish Fairy Dust”. I suppose that is not good news reporting. The Chicago Saint Patrick’s Day parade is a great parade and I have marched in everyone my entire life until I got hurt. Many of the guys that place the powder in the water have ended up with awesome jobs with the city. The secret powder is Uranine. Please see the picture of this powder. Uranine is also called “Irish Fairy Dust”. Most versions of this powder is about as safe as the Lead water pipes serving most of Chicago safe drinking water. The City Water Department supplied the powder with taxpayer money since the beginning of the tradition. I do not want this powder placed in the water any longer. But that is me. Remember, St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago is to celebrate the accomplishments of the Irish. It should not be a day to shame his name with excessive drinking. Happy St Patrick’s Day and God Bless all my Chicago Friends.
Chicago Alderman Burke’s Vocamotive Charge Chicago massive Rates
We all know about Vocamotive Vocational Rehabilitation Training. The City of Chicago has hired them to provide ways to reduce the millions Chicago pays in Workers Compensation benefits. Alderman Burke has hired a bunch of political hacks to work on his Committee on Finance. Dog walkers, dog groomers, hair dressers. Alderman Burke even hired a male stripper. Many folks that work for Alderman Burke have no schooling in Insurance Claims, workers’ compensation, investigations.
When that happens, Chicago Taxpayers pay millions more to hire professionals and consulting companies to pick up the slack. Claims drag on, City of Chicago Lawyers handling claims quit, and claims get bogged down. This costs Chicago taxpayers millions more. In case you read Chicago Newspapers, you will find Chicago investigative journalism has completely gone down the toilet. Chicago Journalist only print what Rahm tells them to. How sad.
Last year Vocamotive provided support services to the City of Chicago Committee on Finance to the tune of $500,000.00 dollars. That would have provided many more patronage workers for Alderman Burke, but no political donations. Vocamotive provides legal assistance to the Committee on Finance because their legislative aides are incapable of doing the job. In fact, Monica Somerville and Luana Olivas-Montoya should be fired if they cannot train the staff to do a complete professional job for the broke taxpayers. I would not expect much from Monica Somerville, she was fired as a Law Department Attorney after suing her boss for sexual harassment. She skipped the “Do not hire List”. Alderman Burke likes what he sees in her.
Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Vocational Training people get paid about $15.50 per hour. Vocamotive charges an astounding $85.00 through $105.00 per hour. Vocamotive also charges Chicago taxpayers hundreds of dollars for loaning cheap computers, and hundreds more for basic Microsoft classes. Chicago pays massive rates for travel time, talk on phone time, and wait time. The billing is better than lawyer rates.
Please look at the attached rates. Click on READ MORE What a mark-up. And you wonder why Alderman Burke is a millionaire and Chicago is Bankrupt. Where is Rahm Emanuel? Where is Inspector General Joe Ferguson?
Former State of Illinois Inspector ready to test Lead in your Chicago Drinking Water
Many folks are very concerned about the lead in the drinking water in Chicago. We at ChicagoClout will provide expert witnesses as to the ways the lead has purposely been put into the drinking water in Chicago. We will provide expert testimony and provide existing sworn testimony as to the way the Department of Water Management willfully violated laws that have adversely affected your family’s health.
We will provide testimony that will show the Department of Water Management retaliated against whistleblowers and stopped water from being properly inspected by Chicago Plumbing Inspectors. We will also show the way Chicago has been testing water to avoid giving an honest result which would have given results with a positive lead result.
We will also show how the promotions have been given to insiders not licensed or qualified to make decisions that affect your life and wellbeing. Please contact chicagoclout@gmail.com and we will provide a lead test that is Calibrated to the EPA standard for lead. Our test procedures document the correct way for an honest result. Every person making the test is a State of Illinois Certified Plumbing Inspector that has been a former employee of the Department of Water Management. There is no charge for those that can not afford the test!!!
Monica Somerville Workers’ Compensation Director Unsuccessfully Sued the City After She was Fired for Poor Job Performance
Worker’s Comp is another Hired Truck and Clout List Scandal Waiting to Happen
I predict current workers’ comp Director Monica Somerville will join the ranks of city managers Angelo Torres and Robert Sorich. Torres managed the infamous Hired Truck program. The city paid $60 million a year to contractors for trucks that mainly sat idle on side streets and parking lots. To secure their lucrative trucking contracts, city contractors used bribes, kickbacks, and political donations, including contributions to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s political committee that Emanuel set up when he ran for congress. Sorich maintained the “clout list” that FBI agents found on his computer when they raided his city hall office. Scorch kept the names of people that the city promoted or hired in exchange for their political work, a practice that the Shakman Decrees expressly prohibited. Not surprisingly, the names of workers comp Director Monica Somerville and three of her relatives appear on Sorich’s clout list (see Note 1).
As with Torres and Sorich, Monica Somerville’s political organization and political sponsors secured her workers’ comp job. As with Torres and Sorich, workers’ comp Director Somerville must obey orders from her political clout bosses regardless of whether her orders are moral or immoral or legal or illegal; otherwise, she will be out of her seventh public sector job.
Somerville’s job as workers’ comp director is her fourth city job. Somerville worked in the law department as an attorney and assistant corporation council from January 1991 until she resigned in September 1997. Somerville returned to the law department as a chief assistant corporation council in June 2000. Somerville’s return to city employment at double the salary is significant because it occurred after Sorich put her name on his clout list. Seventeen months later, the city fired Somerville for disciplinary reasons in November 2001. Somerville did not leave her city job quietly. She filed a sexual harassment and racial discrimination suit against her boss Melvin Brooks and the City of Chicago. The judge ruled the city fired Somerville for “poor performance.” The judge specifically noted Somerville made mistakes that led to a $50 million and $3 million verdict against the city. The judge said Somerville provided no evidence that she was sexually harassed or racially discriminated against.
Somerville Should Have Been on the City’s Do Not Hire List
The assistant commissioner for the human resources department maintains a “do not hire list” of employees whom the city will not rehire because of the actions that led to their termination. The do not hire list is divided into finite and infinite classifications. The city may rehire former employees after one year if city workers’ terminations are listed as “finite.” The city will never rehire former city employees whose terminations are classified as “infinite.”
At the very least Monica Somerville’s disciplinary termination would have put her on the do not hire finite list had there been one in 2001. Somerville falsely accusing her supervisor and city of sexual harassment and racial discrimination after she was fired probably would have earned her a do not hire infinite termination. It’s one thing to get fired for poor performance and disciplinary reasons, but making false accusations after termination against a supervisor and the city is far more serious. I pity Somerville’s boss who had to defend himself against her awful allegations.
Alderman Burke hired Somerville for political reasons, and he continues to employ her for political reasons. As with Somerville’s current workers’ comp position, her previous employment was also a Shakman exempt job. Prior to joining Alderman Ed Burke’s finance committee, Somerville worked nine years at the Illinois Department of Employment Services (IDES). She went from a $28.36 hourly hearing referee in 2003 to earning $7,917 a month for working as a public service administrator starting in 2009. Somerville has an eight month employment history gap from when she left IDES on Sept. 1, 2012 until she started working for Burke’s finance committee on May 16, 2013. Somerville’s pay dropped from $95,000 a year at IDES to the $75,000 a year that she is currently earning as a finance committee employee.
Alderman Ed Burke is solely responsible for hiring Monica Somerville. For the 31 years that Burke has served as finance committee chairman, he has handpicked all of his workers’ comp employees. Somerville did not make the city’s do not hire list because there was no such list when she was fired, but wouldn’t her termination for poor job performance, false allegations against her supervisor, and unsuccessful lawsuit against the city give Burke pause to hire her? Has Somerville accomplished anything remarkable that shows she is a far better employee today then the day the city fired her?
Burke has some explaining to do. Why did Burke hire Somerville after she was fired from the law department for poor performance? Why did Burke hire Somerville after she made false sexual harassment and racial discrimination claims in a lawsuit that she lost? Why did Burke hire Somerville who has an extensive political pedigree for a job that requires independence and impartiality?
Burke’s hiring of Somerville is a symptom of a much bigger problem, namely workers’ comp is under Burke’s finance committee’s control when it should be part of the executive branch. During Burke’s 31 year reign as finance chairman, I estimate that he has submitted $2 billion to $3 billion in workers’ compensation vouchers without a financial audit or oversight of his expenditures. Indeed aldermen have passed Burke’s workers’ comp budget for 31 years, but once the city council appropriated money to fund Burke’s committee, there has been no review to make sure Burke has properly spent the $2 to $3 billion of workers’ comp money.
Three 1913 municipal code ordinances give Burke the unchecked power to hire workers’ comp employees, sign vouchers for both duty disability pay and medical expenses without proper financial controls over his spending or oversight of his employees. Workers’ compensation employees like Somerville maintain power and control over city employees’ livelihood and their health since they must give their prior approval for medical procedures such as surgery. If you are a city employee or someone you care about is a city employee, you’ll want to know the answer to this question: How many other Monica Somervilles did Alderman Ed Burke hire to administer Chicago’s workers’ comp program?
Note
1.To view Monica Somerville and her relatives names on the clout list, click the following document. cloutlist2006(2)
The Defender speaks on Alderman Burke and the Committee on Finance
City Worker Denied Surgery to Relieve Pain
By Ken Hare
Chicago Defender Staff Writer
On January 7, 2013, city worker Reginald Williams Sr., who has worked with the Department of Transportation for over 20 years was injured on the job.
He was a passenger in an 18-wheel city truck when the driver miscalculated the height of a viaduct and ran into the overpass. The impact injured everyone riding in the cab and an ambulance was dispatched.
The next day, Williams was instructed to go to Mercy Works for Occupational Medicine and see the doctors that are part of the city’s workers’ compensation network.
Shortly after his accident, Williams applied for workmen’s compensation and was immediately awarded monthly benefits that started the same month of the accident, January 2013 and lasted until December 2014.
In a letter dated January 14, 2015, Monica Somerville, Director of the Workers’ Compensation Division, stated that Williams was to complete the paper work to be reinstated to “full duty” work in an “unrestricted capacity.” The letter was based on a Dr. Levin’s Independent Medical Examiner’s (IME) report that was written on December 3, 2014.
Dr. Levin, in addition to that report, also wrote a 53-page report addressed to a Patricia O’Connor chronicling Williams’ medical history throughout the life of his claim. The report is a compilation of all the visits that Williams made to the doctor’s office regarding his conditions while he received benefits, benefits that lasted for twenty-three months.
“I contacted my attorney and asked how could they terminate my benefits. He said it was based on the MRI report and the doctor’s opinion that I was able to go back to work full time,” Williams stated. “I told my attorney that someone was lying and he said we have to wait to see the report.”
Williams ended up firing his first attorney and hiring another after weeks went by with no progress on his case. Subsequently, he hired another attorney who also didn’t make any substantial progress and he too was fired after several months.
After obtaining a copy of the report, according to Williams, he came to the conclusion that Dr. Levin had incorrect information about his shoulder that wasn’t injured in the accident and somehow this information was used to justify terminating his case.
Attorney Mark Weissburg, who isn’t affiliated with the case, but specializes in Social Security and Workers’ Compensation is all too familiar with the decision to terminate clients.
“The City would have to explain its decision making process. Some employers fire injured workers as a way of scaring the remaining employees so they don’t report work injuries,” Weissburg said. “Other times an employer fails to follow the law and acts in ways that are contrary to the word and intent of the Workers’ Compensation Act.”
Throughout the 53 page report, it’s indisputably noted that Williams continues to experience severe back pain, and is commented on by several of the doctors that Dr. Levin uses in his final report.
“I continue to be in constant pain while taking Norco and Dr. Levin knows that I am,” Williams said. “I am sad that my request for surgery has been denied even though I did everything the city told my doctors to do. Just when I thought the city was about to approve my surgery, Dr. Levin said I didn’t need it. And my benefits were terminated.”
Attorney Weissburg said, “I’ve seen employers make decisions that not only hurt the injured worker, but are also not in the employer’s own best interests. When there are reasonable questions regarding the facts of a work injury, those should be investigated, but when it is clear that a worker was injured at work, the appropriate benefits should be paid in a timely manner.”
The question some ask is how the city of Chicago and one of its affiliated doctors says it is okay for a city employee, who is taking one of the most powerful pain killers known to man, to return to work in “full duty” in an “unrestricted capacity.”
The warning label for Norco states: “This medication may impair your thinking or reactions. Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how Norco will affect you. Dizziness or severe drowsiness can cause falls or other accidents.”
The Chicago Defender attempted to contact Dr. Levin, Monica Somerville from Workers’ Compensation and Mr. Williams’ attorney, George Argionis, all declined to comment on this story.
State Rep. John D’Amico fought to reduce Airplane noise in Chicago.
Did JOhn C. D’Amico take care of Airplane noise at O’Hare? You be the judge. Did Madigan back the right canidate?
Former 44Th Ward Alderman’s Son orders tree removal Paul “Bunyan” Hansen
Many City of Chicago residents love their trees in front of their home. Not long ago, a leak was in the parkway of their home and a Investigator crew came out in the middle of the night to check the cause. When the homeowner came out side, they felt like the crew was rude and abrupt to them. Them were given a paper with a notice the tree would be removed. The homeowners were very upset and contacted Larry Yellen of Fox News. Not long after, (Sunday February 28, 2016) Patrick McDonough, A State of Illinois Plumbing Inspector, was requested to investigate the situation. McDonough said the Shut off valve in the parkway was not even exposed so how could the city make a determination. The home owner and the neighbor pumped down the water and retrieved a metal detector.
George hunted down the B-Box, exposed it, and found the top was never removed. McDonough suggested the City should send some laborers from the Central District that know what side of the shovel to use. Since the work was in sand, it could be easily accomplished with-out destroying the tree. The lead pipe from the street could be re-routed from behind the tree and reconnected. There were no iron risers inside the meter vault. But, the North District is run by politicians.
On Monday, February 29, 2016, Paul (Bunyan) Hansen told the homeowner he wanted the tree chopped down. Paul Hansen from the 7200 block of West Olive should have known how important trees are to the quality of life in Chicago. Paul Hansen, is the son of 44th ward Alderman Bernie Hansen, so he got the “head” spot in the North District Water Department despite not having any training in the Plumbing Industry. Paul is best known for having a DUI and then a promotion. Alderman Tunney told me he pushed for Paul’s promotion.
There are options when you have skills and common sense. But that is not always the case when it comes to Department of Water Management employees.
Bruce Randazzo exposes City of Chicago and Alderman Burke on Chicago Clout
The City of Chicago is killing Chicago City Workers that come into contact with air-borne mists. These airborne dusts include limestone, asbestos, dusts. They are a threat to the entire community which includes the Chicago 45th ward. Ten years ago, Patrick McDonough, the whistleblower of Hired Truck Scandal, warded the entire neighborhood of this hostile dust clouds. This dusts can cause, Sore throat, blueish skin, coughing, sore throat, fever, chest pain, loss of appetite, and tiredness. It can also cause death. Please wear a mask when you are around 4900 West Sunnyside in the Chicago Northwest side.