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Morning shorts
Wednesday, Jan 3, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller * Duckworth urges vets to apply for IDOT jobs * `I just wish I had a little more time‘ - Just as his issues reach the forefront, a veteran congressman steps down because of Parkinson’s * Nichols finally off county payroll - Patronage chief on paid leave since August raid * Stroger loses ride - Exclusive express elevator now open to everyone at County Building * Editorial: Inaugurations no celebration for taxpayers * Editorial: A new year, a few items for the to-do list * Judge is biased, state’s attorney says - Birkett admits trying to steer cases away * Great Lakes Health Took A Dive in ‘06 * Group forms to protest higher electric rates * Editorial: State lawmakers should dump reverse auction * IDOT seeks to hire Spanish speakers * State officials seek single soda supplier * County budget fight erupts on Internet… Stroger video here… transcript… Claypool rips Stroger’s budget plan * Perhaps our threat of war moved the bridge talks along, but somehow I doubt it. * Hospital tax will generate millions for some Chicago hospitals * Editorial: Politics ruled McHenry County in ’06 * City resolution: Less red tape for Chicago businesses * Is Hometown Newspaper Ownership Really the Next Big Thing? * Danville Realtors tire of black eye, to withhold sales data * Best Pulse quotes of the year * Breathing easier, Bean charts her course - Democratic majority may pressure congresswoman to vote with party * Illegal dumping remains problem in much of the Metro East * Governor Blagojevich honors some from area
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- Huh? - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 5:49 am:
I know one job at IDOT that is open - an Engineer position. I resigned after 15 years. Last Friday was my last day. I went over to the dark side of engineering - I am now a consultant.
- Just Wonderin' - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 8:04 am:
Huh?, good for you! I understand that IDOT has been the pits since Martin arrived. An engineer I know that was pushed out went into consulting, and now makes more $$$ (much more) and has better perks than those of IDOT. Good luck!
- Bill - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 8:16 am:
Good Riddance.
- Bridget Dooley - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 8:59 am:
I’m glad to see Tammy Duckworth taking the intitiative to promote veteran’s employment with the state. Though I don’t know the exact stats on veteran unemployment at the moment, I do know that it’s significantly higher than the state average.
- Rex - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 12:26 pm:
Very interesting that Duckworth/Martin urging vets to apply for IDOT jobs. Everyone knows that the highway maintainer jobs are very political and are based on “County Chairmen” preference. It is very important that Duckworth monitors this process so that only qualified veterans get the job.
- Not So Fast - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 1:54 pm:
It seems like Birkett is “angry” a lot of the time. Could it be because voters have twice rejected his bids for statewide office?
- Huh? - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 7:44 pm:
Bill -
Just so you know, I wasmanaging multiple projects (16 when I quit) both in-house and consultants with an estimated construction value of over $280 million. The little projects were between 1 and 2 million dollars. The big projects were over $75 mil.
My section lost 90% of its experience in the last 8 months. 27 years of institutional knowledge went out the door, gone, lost forever. There is no longer the old gray beard to ask how to solve a situtation that had been seen many times in the past. Who is going to train the neophytes? Who is going to hold their hand and mentor them as they get bigger and more difficult projects?
My former supervisor? I knew more than he did. His idea of a good working environment is piling more and more work until the workers are so stressed that they can’t think and then demanding to know why the work iwan’t done, why there were minor grammer errors, why what looked good on the computer didn’t print exactly as was seen on the screen. I kid you not, he told me that he thought that stress was a good thing.
So, Bill you say good riddance. I took my experience to a place where it will be appreciated for the good work and initiative. (2 months before I left, I saved over $5.3 million on a project. At the same time, I solved the problem over which the FHWA was going to deny approval.)
- Huh? - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 7:49 pm:
Bill -
PS - Now that I have gone over to the dark side of engineering, IDOT will be billed a lot of money to pay my salary. Good riddance? IDOT will more than pay for my salary and benefits when my firm bills for my work. Good riddance? Ha! Jokes on you.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 8:07 pm:
Bill says good riddance.
I say Huh? made a very astute career move, as are many of the best and brightest at IDOT. I just hope the last one turns the light out over there when he/she leaves.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 8:14 pm:
SDS -
Thank you for your comment. It is appreciated.
- Bill - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 9:20 pm:
Isn’t there some sort of ethics problem with consulting for the same state agency that you used to work for?
Just wondering? By the way, despite all the pressure and stress and the work involved in saving the state all of those millions, you always found time to blog and insult the administration that you were supposed to be working for. Good luck with that in “private industry”.
- I'm mad as hell... - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 10:06 pm:
Bill,
Just curious, what do you think IDOT is for? What is the mission? And what are engineers there for?
FYI, I was at IDOT for 17 plus years until recently, and am now at a consultant. And am not doing a lot of IDOT work there, of course my company doesn’t “pay to play…”
- IDOT'er - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 10:48 pm:
Bill,
Check the ranks of the consulting industry and you will find all kinds of ex-IDOT people there, from youngsters who got their start at IDOT a few years ago to ex- District Engineers and Secretaries of Transportation (some of who served in the current admin, BTW). A stint in public service is not, and should not be, an economic yoke of servitude on the remainder of these fine folks’ careers. If the pay at IDOT isn’t making it, where do you think these people are gonna go? To the consulting firm that pays six figures a year, or to the stockroom at Wal-Mart?
And who better for IDOT to hire to do the job than someone with IDOT experience? Believe me, I’ve seen the results from hiring someone who has no familiarity with IDOT policies or transportation work in general.
As far as the “revolving door” goes, 99.9% of the ex-IDOT people were not in a position to pick the consulting firms who do work for IDOT. It’s done by a committee of 6 people, 2 of who are retired professional engineers and 4 of whom are IDOT executive level staff. Even IDOT’s current chief counsel thinks any “revolving door” prohibition is unconstitutional and could not be enforced.