* Sun-Times…
Among other topics, federal agents questioned Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez about whether another political figure tried to pressure village officials into giving a local bar a license to operate later into the night. Rodriquez hasn’t returned numerous calls from a reporter. The bar operator said he’d consult with his attorney and call back a reporter but didn’t.
I have no way of knowing whether this is related or not, but if you look at the heavily redacted federal warrant served on Sen. Martin Sandoval’s Statehouse office, you’ll see these two mentions…
1. Items related to… a [redacted] lounge […]
8. Items related to… [redacted] Club
Again, it may just be a coinkydink.
* Tribune…
A source with knowledge of the probe told the Chicago Tribune that one focus of the investigation is Safespeed LLC, a clout-heavy red light camera company that does millions of dollars in business in Chicago’s suburbs, including Summit. One of the company’s paid consultants, Patrick Doherty, also is chief of staff in Tobolski’s County Board office. Doherty has not responded to requests for comment.
But is this about SafeSpeed itself or is it about the activities of one of the company’s investors, or is it maybe both? No idea yet…
Doherty told the Sun-Times he was interviewed by FBI and IRS agents at his home last week but he insisted it was not about SafeSpeed. Rather, he said agents asked about another company — run by SafeSpeed investor Omar Maani — that’s been involved in low-income housing projects in Cicero and Summit.
I’m told Tobolski was very involved with that Maani project in Summit.
* This thing is going in a large number of directions. WBEZ…
The search warrant also indicates that the FBI was looking for “items related to any official action taken in exchange for a benefit,” the records show.
And agents sought “items related to Latino Night at the Max, Chicago Cubs spring training trips, benefits provided by Law Firm 1 and/or Law Firm 1 Attorney A, Esq., and/or air conditioning and/or heating at [redacted] residence,” according to the documents provided by McCook officials. The Max is a sports complex in McCook.
Sun-Times…
Agents left with records related to a “Pub Max project,” a 2017 roof repair, Department of Labor safety violations, invoices, emails, hard drives, a Max monthly meeting reports folder and other documents. […]
Tobolski has also been subject of criticism for putting many family members on the village payroll, including good-paying jobs at the Max.
The Max is quite something.
- Red Ranger - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 10:46 am:
Say what you want about corruption, graft illegalities and whatnot, but this crew found a way to put a bar in the same place where you watch your five year old kid play their soccer games. That’s brilliant.
- Rabid - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 10:50 am:
New furnace and air conditioner installed, intended for max?
- City Zen - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 10:54 am:
==The Max is quite something.==
Indeed. There’s also an aquatics facility right across the street.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 10:55 am:
Did they use Teamsters ? Has Coli been sentenced yet ?
- @misterjayem - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 10:58 am:
“The bar operator said he’d consult with his attorney and call back a reporter but didn’t.”
Slight tangent: I’m old enough to remember when newsrooms were sufficiently staffed that they could send someone out to knock on an establishment’s door.
– MrJM
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 11:02 am:
The alleged goal(s) in these “tings” is to get the max of what deez guyz want and not have the G “tink” it’s a bad “ting”
The way to break up “these things of theirs”?
A “rat”, someone gets pinched and rats or gets slighted and rats.
The udder way is anudder guy yaps about tings and dey get on a radar.
…..
It’s too deep in details to be anything but it’s own thing. Either Sandoval is the pivot or the Red Light camera is?
No clue, no idea, but what a map there is already
- don the legend - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 11:04 am:
To piggyback onto @misterjayem, I remember when reporters used to do their best work in a bar.
- Steve - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 11:17 am:
I’m kind of wondering if any of these folks on Alderman Ed Burke’s wiretapped phone calls ?
- Cicero - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 11:23 am:
My guess is this will all wind up being much ado about nothing. Sandoval and Tobolski are deeply ethical, keep their noses to the grindstone and do very little to call any attention to themselves. They are gentlemen servants in the mold of Coke Stevenson.
- Steve - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 11:29 am:
- Cicero -
Misunderstood idealists.
- Cicero - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 11:34 am:
@Steve
Exactly. The 14 people and 3 golden retrievers that live in McCook have been well served by Tobolski’s mayoralty.
His Chief of Staff’s private sector interests enable him to better understand the macroeconomic forces at play that impact their constituents.
Again, much ado about nothing.
- Steve - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 11:53 am:
- Cicero -
Some people are innovators in the field of the wealth redistribution.
- Rabid - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 1:05 pm:
A licensed roofer that received an osha violation in 2017 on the max. It could be anybody
- NorthsideNoMore - Friday, Oct 4, 19 @ 1:19 pm:
My kids both played(practiced) out of The Max. We were there when the pub opened. Actually a good finacial thing there are litereally 100s of adults there all weekend watching kids play sports. Better to get a few bucks from them there than having them go someplace else out of town to eat and drink inbetween games… just sayin