Plucking the pigeon
Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
There’s some confusion over some of the facts surrounding the federal case against Alderman Arenda Troutman.
Troutman, who represents the South Side’s 20th Ward, was arrested for allegedly taking money to grease the way for a real estate development at 5730 S. Halsted St.
But the site in question, as it turns out, isn’t even in Troutman’s ward.
And her mouthpiece has seized on that fact as evidence that Troutman is somehow innocent.
“It just doesn’t sound right: [the informant] bribed Arenda Troutman to develop Shirley Coleman’s ward with money she didn’t ever get?” said Troutman’s lawyer, Sam Adam Jr. “They can’t even get the area where they’re trying to set her up right?”
Maybe, but she did, apparently, take the money and she allegedly made several calls on behalf of the informant.
According to the complaint, she got $5,000, the promise of another $10,000 and had discussed being given a residence and commercial space in the project.
Alley-access ordinances are routine, said Ald. Thomas Allen (38th), chairman of the council’s Transportation Committee, which processes hundreds of such proposals every year. It would be “ridiculous” to pay a bribe to get one through the City Council, he said.
It would be “ridiculous” unless Troutman was trying to pluck what she thought was a fat, stupid pigeon. Then it would be standard operating procedure.
Meanwhile, two of the city council’s broken down old bulls reflect on Ald. Troutman’s arrest.
“There are problems with people’s behavior all over the world. Government, industry, the churches. It’s a matter of human behavior,” said Ald. Burt Natarus (42nd).
It has been almost eight years since the last alderman was convicted of corruption. Virgil Jones became the twenty-fifth alderman nailed in 26 years.
That lull in convictions leads Ald. Bernard Stone (50th) to insist Troutman’s charges shouldn’t reflect on today’s council as a whole.
“There has been no problems in this council over the last decade and contrary to the common belief, the council is really made up of a lot of good people,” Stone said.
- fedup dem - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 9:18 am:
Screw-ups like this should not be too shocking, given the fact the the feds have spent the last half dozen years treating aldermen like a fisherman treats guppies that he catches, then throws back into the water because they are too small. As a result, the techniques used by the feds are rusty (sort of like the Ohio State football team Monday night), and you end up with am embarassing situation.
In the future, the federal agents should bone up on their map-reading skills.
- Just Observing - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 9:29 am:
That is odd that its not in her ward. I would like to know the Feds’ logic behind that move; if it was ignorance on behalf of the Feds, that would be pretty embarassing.
- John Lee Pettimore - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 9:30 am:
“There are problems with people’s behavior all over the world. Government, industry, the churches. It’s a matter of human behavior,†said Ald. Burt Natarus (42nd).
He would know firsthand, wouldn’t he? Didn’t he accept a questionable $150,000 loan from convicted felon, Mickey Seigel? Didn’t he say that the $150 large was for “fees”.
If I were Burt, I would stay far and clear away from any debate on ethics.
- cermak_rd - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 9:48 am:
The thing that gets me is how small the scale of this corruption is. The charges are for 15K in bribes. It’s like going to jail for stealing pennies from a bank, you can and will go to jail for such but it’s so incredibly stupid.
- ZC - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 11:14 am:
So apparently Troutman doesn’t know what’s in her ward and what’s not. That fact alone, if the rest of the case holds up against her, hardly protects her from prosecution.
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 1:25 pm:
The old real estate adage, “location, location, location” doesn’t apply when bribery is involved.
The whole deal reminds me of that old joke about the guy that chats up the pretty lady in the bar.
He buys her a couple drinks, one thing leads to another, and all of a sudden he says, “Would you sleep with me for a million dollars?”
She says, “Well, I sure guess I would!”
He replies, “OK, how about for fifty bucks?”
Shaken, she gasps, “What do you think I am?”
He says, “We’ve already established that. We’re just negotiating the rate.”
- beowulf - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 1:44 pm:
Alderman Stone has summed it up quite nicely when he says that “contrary to the common belief, the council is really made up of good people.”
The statement the COMMON BELIEF should make alderman Stone question and reflect on “WHY” this is the common belief? Is it because the Council has a disproportionately higher percentage of the “ethically challenged” that is to be found amongst our population? Should it make Alderman Stone question the competency level of the council members for not doing a better job of “regulating and monitoring” their own members?
And, doesn’t it really make Mayor Dufus Dailey look pathetic each time one of his fellow Chicago political supporters gets caught by the Feds and he simply excuses their criminal behaviour as being “just human and subject to the normal human frailties”? It shows how high (or low) that Mayor Daley has set the governmental bar for ethical standards for his fellow political lackeys. The Chicago alderman have to look down in order to find the current ethical standards that Daley has established for Chicago government. As they always say in the military, “leadership by example.” Mayor Daley’s council of aldermanic bootlickers appear to have taken that military edict to heart.
- Papa Legba - Wednesday, Jan 10, 07 @ 3:32 pm:
It doesn’t matter that the property was across the street from her ward. Big deal the Feds chose that location. The fact is Troutman took the bait. Hook, line and sinker. She got nailed trying to shake down the “developers” for money and a free condo.
She gets a double stupid points for being greedy and trying to grease the way for a project that isn’t even in her ward. Oink!