Hit from all sides
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times looks at one aspect of the federal Blagojevich investigation…
As part of their “pay-to-play” probe of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, federal investigators are examining state bid proposals and other records from 18 heavyweight engineering and construction companies that made hefty political contributions and got big contracts from the state and from City Hall, records show.
In all, the companies have made more than $3.6 million in campaign contributions since the mid-1990s, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis shows.
More than a third of that — about $1.3 million — went to Blagojevich, whose administration gave 11 of the companies $656 million in contracts since 2004.
Mayor Daley took $64,800 from the companies before he put a self-imposed ban on accepting campaign cash from city contractors in the wake of the Hired Truck scandal. Since 2004, 11 of the companies have gotten $183 million in city deals.
Notice the gigantic difference in money contributed to the two men. One of the companies was represented by John Wyma, the former Blagojevich insider who’s looking for an immunity deal. Another was represented by Lon Monk, Blagojevich’s former chief of staff. Both of those guys were bigtime Blagojevich fundraisers. The Blagojevich campaign guys were all about the money, and it shows in that above discrepancy.
* And Carol Marin speculates about the recent Chris Kelly federal indictment for bigtime alleged wrongdoing on an O’Hare Airport contract…
O’Hare has been a golden goose of possibilities for well-connected businesses and politicians. In the last year, Mayor Daley’s own Inspector General David Hoffman has, according to published reports, been probing contracts and political connections out at O’Hare.
And now we learn the feds have in their clutches former Daley aide and Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris, who — guess what? — did two tours of duty for the mayor out at O’Hare. Harris was arrested on Dec. 9. The Kelly indictment spans airport work from 1998-2006.
Where was John Harris during some of those years? In 1999, the mayor named him first deputy commissioner of aviation overseeing the “future of O’Hare,” the project manager for “design, financing and construction.”
A cooperating witness, imagine what Harris has been able to share with the government.
Imagine what Kelly could tell them, assuming he doesn’t stay on that hot tin roof much longer.
Yep.
* Related…
* Blago blitz ‘like watching a train wreck’
* Experts say Blago book deal unlikely
- carbon deforestation - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 9:57 am:
Yeah, I said it first.
- Plutocrat03 - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:01 am:
So how long will it take to create the same kind of list for Da Mare’s contributions/contracts? Does anyone really believe that the former governor is the one who invented pay to play?
Mayor Daley certainly did not get much play from his comment on the need to dispense with those silly bidding rules for the projects associated with the federal stimulus package. Does this kind of information explain the need for secrecy of the shovel ready projects and the companies who are likely already told what they will build?
- VanillaMan - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:02 am:
Blagojevich will get a children’s book deal based on his administration.
__________________________________________________
Announcing “The Little Governor” series for Children!
The Little Governor Who Couldn’t is based on his six year term as Illinois governor. It will be co-authored by VanillaMan. Blagojevich supplied the opening line, “Once upon a time” - and VanillaMan wrote the rest.
A take-off on the classic children’s tale, “The Little Train That Could”, “The Little Governor Who Couldn’t will charm children of all ages as it tells the endearing story of a floppy-haired little governor fighting vainly for the hard working people of Illinois.
From the hypocritical hilarity of chapter 2: “Mongo The Bull”, to the lessons of Chapter 20: “Shake-down at Children’s Hospital”, your child will listen enthralled to each adventure of The Little Governor.
Suspense, hilarity, and morals will be taught to your little ones with each telling of The Little Governor Who Couldn’t.
It will be a children’s classic for years to come!
More “The Little Governor” books will come to your bookstore as they are released!
- Anon - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:11 am:
A ridiculous attempt by the Sun Times to try to drag the Mayor into Blagojevich’s problems.
Blagojevich — who has been governor since 2002 –has been the recipient of more than 36% of ALL political contributions that the 18 construction companies have made “since the mid-90s.”
The Mayor has been the recipient of less than 2% of those political contributions over that span (despite having actually been in office during the whole of the Sun Times “analysis” timeframe). Evidently none of those came after 2005 (if I’m recalling the date of Hired Truck correctly). So the fact that “11 of the companies have gotten $183 million in city deals” after 2004 should be used to contrast Daley and Blagojevich, rather than to imply the Mayor was engaged in equivalent behavior.
The reporter who wrote the story will soon be where she belongs: unemployed.
- The Doc - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:16 am:
Daley is surely fretting over the ORD revelations, with both Harris and Kelly facing serious prison time and likely to spill the beans.
In light of these events, I understand why, in Daley’s own warped sense of reality, he desires to keep his stimulus wish list under wraps. But considering all the rhetoric about open and transparent government, both locally and nationally, the mayor needs to be slapped around hard for his statements.
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:24 am:
“The reporter who wrote the story will soon be where she belongs: unemployed.”
Yeah right. I think she has 20 jobs-She seems to be employed on every channel and newspaper.
- Engineer - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:24 am:
I think it would also be interesting to see a list of engineering firms that gave to Hastert and Lipinski (father and son) next to a list of how much federally funded work these firms got. I work for an engineering firm and thankfully we are NOT on the Blago contributors list, but we did give to Hastert back in the day. I guess the main difference is that there are federal rules that limit contribution amounts, so even if you give the maximum it is comparatively little. The $ ammounts given by some of these firms to Blago are astounding. And creepy since I know people who work at almost every one of these firms.
I remember a Sun-Times blog post that quoted Benesch as saying they would be thrilled if HB1 (the pay-to-play law) passed because it would mean they could stop giving contributions. I found the bluntness of that statement to be shocking at the time. Though I feel for the firms that felt that these contributions were the only way to get work, then I step back a bit and think about the fact that one reason this guy didn’t get a more serious challenge in 2006 is because he had a huge campaign war chest. Blago wrings contributions out of people who want business and who are willing to pay to play, he becomes unbeatable, he wins re-election, rinse and repeat. We clearly need serious campaingn finance reform.
- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:35 am:
Anon 10:11, you’re right. Nothing to see there at that dusty little airstrip called Orchard Field. No one should even look.
- Bill - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:38 am:
==The reporter who wrote the story will soon be where she belongs: unemployed.==
Wow, what a rod-like statement. This story must have shaken a few branches in the fiefdom of Little Dick. For those of you who keep insisting that they’ll never get Little Dick, just think about Fast Eddie in his new residence.
Little Dick’s buddy GW is gone now so there’s nobody to quash this. We’ll see if SuperFitz will finally live up to his billing.
- Leave a light on George - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:45 am:
In the end attempting to sell the US Senate seat is going to seem like getting caught talking about egging the neighbor’s house. Serious felonies that were completed not just planned are going to put lots of folks in prison for a long time.
- honesty in government - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 11:34 am:
Working for I.D.O.T. for over a decade I never seen anything like I seen during the Dan Ryan Project. The contractor’s had their way and the numbers at the end shows vast cost over runs. Over 300 million in consultant contracts and we all know our Secretary of Transportation left to one of those consultant firms where he is making a 6 figure salary not to mention our former Chief of staff whose husband represents the 26th. Supportive service contracts that were shams. A Napa contract that needs to be looked at. It was a ATM station for the governor’s office and he along with his deputies & director’s should be held responsible.
- NJ commenter - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 12:10 pm:
Bob Dole put it best that political contributions come from people who “aren’t just interested in good government.”
- Bubs - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 12:22 pm:
If the Federales go to work on O’Hare contracting, they will find it very, very dirty, and I don’t mean jet fumes in the air.
Once a lot of that comes out into the sunshine, put the corruption we find on steroids, and that is what the Olympics will look like.
- chiatty - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 12:22 pm:
I seriously doubt that any of the Daley innuendo will go anywhere, but this kind of innuendo, as opposed to the Senate Seat folderol, does have very negative implications for Blagojevich.
- Captain America - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 12:39 pm:
I’m an O’hare expansion supporter so I have no axe to grind. But I also believe that O’Hare contracts must be a can of worms just begging for federal investigation, primarily because of the way the city,the Mayor and his political/business cronies and the contractor community do business. But I’m equally sure the Mayor has buffers in place. Harris and Kelly, and others must know where a lot of bodies are buried on Illinois state and local government contracts. Carol Marin’s column was very interesting andthought provoking.
- Little Egypt - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 1:03 pm:
I hope the Federales take care of Blago before going on to other subjects like ORD and City Hall.
- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 1:17 pm:
Little E, a wise old newsman once told me “It’s all the same story. That’s why they call it connections.”
I’m sure the U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois could use another infusion of people, on top of the two I think they’ve had in the past four years.
By the way, does the U.S. Attorney for Central Illinois do anything? Or is he still chasing that Whitewater/Monica case?
- Cecil - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 4:22 pm:
Honesty in Government - good post and so very true.
- honesty in government - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 4:47 pm:
Cecil thank you for your support. Most of us in IDOT wonder why are new Secetrary turns a blind eye to all this. There needs to be a hearing and Blago did not do this alone. Each Director and each deputy needs to be accountable. There needs to be a heqaring where honest state workers can step-up to expose this. I waatched this for three years during these mega projects. Let ther be hearings where workers (with fear of termination) may step up to expose these Directors,deputies and state workers that were part of this
- Advisor - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 5:05 pm:
O’Hare was always the main target for the feds!
Thank you Peter!!! (Senator Peter Fitzgerald)
Remember Mayor Daley when you blocked us getting an audit at ORD?
- Rocketman - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 5:41 pm:
In addition to construction contracts at ORD the Feds should look at lessees of concessions. Follow the money to see who is really behind the lucrative food, drink, news and duty free concessions.
- IDOTpro - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 7:55 pm:
Honesty…Amen. IDOT is a small fish in a big pond but had received most of the Blago “manager” appointments that had been engineering positions. IDOT has been dismantled by the inexperience. When will the fumigating begin??? Hearings? Bring it on! There are six years of frustration out there.
- honesty in government - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 8:15 pm:
IDOT PRO if 1.5 billion is small fry invite me to dinner. IDOT is the second largest buget. Also in supportive services tens of millions are unanswered for. So when is dinner I would love to have some of that small frys. LET THERE BE HEARINGS SO WE MAY STEP FORWARD
- In the Sticks - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 9:09 pm:
I hear Clayton Harris, former Chief of Staff, will soon be part of IDOT.
Also, look for wind turbines at those IDOT rest areas. Anne Schneider backs this, with a study in hand from somewhere. Turbines, at $30,000 to $40,000 each, will provide enough power for one electric hand dryer. Maybe Anne’s brother-in-law will get the contract to install all these turbines.
- south sider - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 9:51 pm:
Bring back Tony Karam from Benesch Engineers for more quotes. His last one was most enlighting. Ask him about his connection to Tony Rezko and their dealings at the Illinois Tollway
- honesty in government - Monday, Feb 9, 09 @ 10:19 pm:
Clayton Harris has major problems in handling DBE’s and allowing Mr. Roberson (inter-govermental affairs) to do unethical behavior. Again these people cause legal problems & suits to be filed and they leave causing the taxpayer untold millions. How do we say thanks to Mr.to allow us to be heard.