* Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has won deserved praise for shaking things up in Chicago. His latest move is sure to be popular…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is cutting from 500 to just 30 the number of credit cards used by local government agencies — and banning the use of petty cash altogether —after alleged abuses that ousted the chiefs of the CHA and Chicago Park District.
Government employees will also be expressly forbidden from spending taxpayers’ money on everything from alcohol, flowers, office decor and restaurant meals within a 50-mile radius of Chicago to sponsorships, charitable donations and parties celebrating holidays, birthdays and employee appreciation.
To guard against future abuses, only five credit cards will be issued to each of six agencies: the CTA, CHA, Park District, Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges and Public Building Commission. Their use will be confined to top executives, whose expenditures will be posted monthly to shine the light on credit-card spending.
* And so will this…
Security details for several city public officials will be reduced or eliminated, the Chicago Police Department said tonight.
The Police Department offered few details on the moves, but said they will put more cops on the street and save taxpayers more than $650,000.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s security detail already has been reduced and the number of sworn officers guarding Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy will decrease.
The security details for Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, chairman of the Chicago City Council’s finance committee, and City Treasurer Stephanie Neely will be reduced. Burke has had city-paid bodyguards since the “Council Wars” era of the 1980s, and questions have arisen about his continuing need for security at taxpayer expense.
* But, make no mistake, Emanuel’s not completely into “new politics.” There’s a bit of the hack left in the guy…
Dr. Anita Blanchard is widely known as the obstetrician who delivered Barack and Michelle Obama’s two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Her husband, Chicago businessman Martin Nesbitt, is a basketball-playing buddy of the president and has been described as one of his closest friends. […]
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has nominated Blanchard to serve on the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, the panel entrusted with safeguarding the city’s architectural treasures. Could the fact that Nesbitt donated $5,000 to Emanuel’s mayoral campaign have anything to do with the nomination? This is Chicago, after all.
Blanchard, it turns out, is not the only bewildering nominee put up by Emanuel.
At Thursday’s commission meeting, it became clear that the mayor is not going to reappoint four highly respected members of the panel, including two architects (Ben Weese and Edward Torrez), a National Park Service official with a master’s in historic preservation (Phyllis Ellin) and a preservation-minded financial services consultant (Yvette Le Grand).
Instead, he’s backing Blanchard and a well-known local chef, Chinatown’s Tony Hu, along with two career politicians, former Ald. Mary Ann Smith and former Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, who bring at least a modicum of experience to the table.
Sheesh.
* Less harmful, but even more political, is this recent move…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel… named an attorney who kept him on the Election Day ballot to a board overseeing port authority issues, one of more than two dozen appointments made ahead of the holiday weekend.
Michael K. Forde, a partner at Mayer Brown, will serve on the Illinois International Port District Board, along with four others. Board members are paid $20,000 a year and the chairman gets $25,000.
Forde served as one of Emanuel’s top attorneys after more than 20 legal challenges were filed claiming Emanuel wasn’t eligible to run for mayor because he abandoned his Chicago residency when he went to work for President Barack Obama. The Illinois Supreme Court eventually sided with Emanuel, who went on to win overwhelmingly.
“His private sector experience navigating complex multi-billion dollar transactions will be greatly needed on the Port Authority Board as it moves forward,” said Chris Mather, an Emanuel spokeswoman.
* Related…
* Nonprofit at the head of the class with ‘political establishment’ - Group touted by Emanuel trains teachers for the toughest turnaround schools, but critics ask, ‘What about the rest?’
* Emanuel, Unions Square Off Over Work Rules
* Phil Rosenthal: The mission is the message: “I don’t buy into this ‘government as a job-engine creator’ and I also don’t buy the ‘government is a problem,’” Emanuel said. “I think both of those are wrong. Anybody who’s looked at either economic history or you talk to business leaders, government has a role to play, and what I’m trying to do is focus on that role.”
* Rahm Emanuel, Garry McCarthy support earlier curfew for kids
* At least 11 wounded across city on steamy night
* Police: Chicago crime down for 30th straight month
* Steinberg: City doesn’t need a genius to fix Taste
* Outside experts put Chicago schools under microscope - Team looks for ways to improve teaching and learning
* Walking out on the job - Bitterness smoldered for years afterward
* Chicago parking rates among highest in nation: Chicago drivers pay the fourth-highest daily parking rate, and seventh highest monthly parking rate in the United States, according to a new survey.
- Horace - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 8:35 am:
I’ll believe things have changed in Chicago when my taxes stop going up at X times the rate of inflation.
(Please note I didn’t say “I’ll believe things have changed in Chicago when my taxes go down” Yes, yes I know Illinois is one of the lowest tax states, low level of state employees, scored big with Site Placement Magazine, it’s not the prison camps Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri are…yadda yadda yadda)
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 8:54 am:
Horace, your sales taxes haven’t risen in quite a while. And your city’s property taxes are awfully darned low when compared with the rest of the state.
- Wensicia - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 8:55 am:
From John Kass’ column yesterday:
“[ex-Mayor] Daley gets two (count ‘em) city cars, and the drivers and the maintenance on the cars (since he doesn’t own them). Those are sworn cops driving Daley and his wife, Maggie, around town, officers who could be protecting children.
“Daley will continue to be provided a detail of active-duty police officers “for a limited time,” Lt. Maureen Biggane told Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner late Friday.”
He’s a private citizen now with a job and plenty of money. Why are taxpayers still paying for his protection?
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 8:57 am:
===Why are taxpayers still paying for his protection? ===
Pretty sure his mother had police protection for decades. This is an old practice in the city. They’ve also just reevaluated his security needs.
- Shore - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 10:01 am:
weinsica is right. The only former spouses of elected officials in the united states that get protection are former first ladies and I am sorry, mrs. daley is not that level. The daley family should have to have their own protection, their own cars, this is outragously riddiculous and kass was dead on. As I said earlier, David Patterson, the legally blind ex governor of new york-a much bigger, much more important job than mayor or first lady of chicago left office and was given a pat on the back and a see you later. No cars for him no cars for his wife, no security protection. The daley family feels a sense of entitlement about the city and its resources and to me it was telling that this new mayor who loves to tout his cleanup the city credentials dumped this piece of “reform” on a friday night.
The other point I’d make on these “reforms” is that to me they are less of Emanuel doing the right thing to wondering why all these things were allowed under daley in the first place.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 10:19 am:
As a Chicagoan, I’m glad to see crime drop for the 30th straight month. I believe in thinking outside of the box in regards to reducing violent crime. I believe in pursuing gangs less for drug sales than for violence. Cops should continue working with community organizations and gangs themselves, so that boundaries can be established, and gangs can agree with them and stop killing each other and innocent bystanders.
- soccermom - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 10:41 am:
On the issue of the Illinois Port Authority — Could this appointment mean that Mayor Emanuel is planning to shake things up and turn a corrupt organization into a major asset for the city and state? I hope so!
- titan - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 11:03 am:
With regard to the Port Board pick, it is hard to objectively assert that a partner at a highly respected firm like Mayer Brown is not well qualified. A mayor making appointments is certainly allowed to put “his people” in, and this pick is difficult to dispute.
THe others, well maybe there’s a bit more to quibble with, but I’ve not yet seen anything to say those folks aren’t qualified.
- Just Observing - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 11:04 am:
=== Blanchard, it turns out, is not the only bewildering nominee put up by Emanuel. At Thursday’s commission meeting, it became clear that the mayor is not going to reappoint four highly respected members of the panel, including two architects (Ben Weese and Edward Torrez), a National Park Service official with a master’s in historic preservation (Phyllis Ellin) and a preservation-minded financial services consultant (Yvette Le Grand). Instead, he’s backing Blanchard and a well-known local chef, Chinatown’s Tony Hu, along with two career politicians, former Ald. Mary Ann Smith and former Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, who bring at least a modicum of experience to the table. ===
On the otherhand, the problem with appointing people to Committees/Commissions who are “experts” or committed to the issue the Committee/Commission tackles is that they drive the agenda full speed — uber-preservationists on preservation committeess want to preserve everything and anything regardless of the economic or market conditions and how those impact the owner of the property. There is rarely a good checks and balance.
- Wensicia - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 12:15 pm:
==This is an old practice in the city.==
You mean an old Daley practice, I’m pretty sure Jane Byrne didn’t get to keep her bodyguard protection after she left the Mayor’s office.
- cermak_rd - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 12:16 pm:
I’m going to agree with Just Observing here. Art in the form of architecture is art that was meant to do something–be lived in, business conducted in, drama performed in, etc. It was not usually meant to just be set aside and visited by bored 4th graders (well before NCLB when they took field trips).
Preservation is important, but it is not the absolute most important thing all the time.
- Redbright - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 4:10 pm:
The Port is running by the mob. Sending a trusted attorney into the Port appears to be step 1 in cleaning up the place, which Rahm has said he wants to do.
The real question is why Greg Hinz did not know that.
- Huh? - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 4:45 pm:
Civilization was built on the rubble of previous generations. Look at all of the archeological excavations that have taken place in Europe and the Middle East.
In 1000 years, what will the archeologists find of our society? They will find crumby buildings that a hysterical preservationist insisted on keeping because they were good examples of out-moded and ill-suited architecture.
If you want to preserve some building, then but it and restore it yourself. Don’t foist the building on the already overburdened tax paying public.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 6:20 pm:
Doesn’t the Illinois Port Authority, for all intents and purposes, run a golf course? A real nice one?
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 11, 11 @ 8:03 pm:
I think there’s too much talk about security and bodyguards. Let the police establish criteria for security and roll with it.
I’m certainly not a big fan of Daley, but maybe he still needs it for a while. I don’t find that outrageous, given his unique position.
Dreary John Kass is just trying to inflame the yabbos because he has nothing else to say.
Years from now, historians are going to read his columns (okay, not many) and wonder about the fever dreams of this guy who got Rokyo’s spot at the Trib who believed Rich Daley controlled the Free World.