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* State and national media have been getting a kick out of kicking Ald. Joe Moore this week…
In a case of only-in-Chicago political timing, the White House announced Monday it would honor Ald. Joe Moore as a “pioneer for political reform,” the same day the veteran City Council member revealed he has spoken to FBI agents about allegations he improperly paid two aides he fired.
The accusations involving the ex-employees surfaced in a report from Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan, one of several cases of alleged aldermanic wrongdoing the council’s watchdog highlighted.
* The award ceremony was hastily canceled…
In a report released Monday, Khan said Moore fired a woman in 2009 after she complained about political work being done in his ward office in violation of city laws. The report says Moore paid the woman $8,709 — the equivalent of 3 1/2 months’ salary — and told her not to speak to anyone about political activities in the ward office.
The report also states that Moore, who has long been considered a progressive voice on the council, fired his chief of staff in 2007 and paid him $13,497 more than he should have based on the number of unused sick days the chief of staff could have accumulated.
Khan indicated that his office forwarded the information to the FBI and the Cook County state’s attorney. Moore said he spoke to FBI agents in May and they told him he was not a “target” in their investigation.
* The political work allegation is pretty weak. The fired woman fed the e-mail which she claims got her fired to NBC 5…
“I was like, ‘Joe, I was watching your back,’” Sullivan said, insisting she was shocked when she was fired after raising the allegations. To prove her point, the former aldermanic employee provided an email she said she sent to Moore at the time, warning him of the political work she saw taking place.
“I just helped our intern with a constituent issue,” she wrote Moore in November of 2009. “And found our volunteer at the front desk putting mailing labels on a big flyer for Toni Preckwinkle.”
“This really concerns me,” she continued. “I fear that one day we’ll have a reporter at that front door, and THEN what? … You don’t need a scandal over something so completely avoidable!”
Again, pretty weak sauce. Not within the boundaries of the law, of course, but a single unpaid volunteer affixing mailing labels for another candidate isn’t really prison-time stuff.
* But here’s Moore’s problem. Local law doesn’t allow for severance pay…
The Legislative Inspector General’s office declared there was no provision in the city codes for employees to be paid severance.
“[Sullivan] continued to get full time salary and full time benefits,” said Kelly Tarrant, Khan’s chief of staff. “That’s ghost payrolling.”
The report found that a former chief of staff in Moore’s office had also benefitted from similar largesse two years before Sullivan. Khan demanded that Moore repay the city more than $22,000.
“Heck no,” said Moore, asking why the inspector general’s office never allowed him to provide his version of the episode.
Moore claims the fired woman was “toxic” to the office environment. Maybe so, but he should’ve checked the law before he paid her off because people have gone to prison for ghost payrolling. And, obviously, it’s never a good thing when the FBI comes calling.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 9:59 am
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Wonder how that Quinn Appointment ever hashed itself out, with the White House thinking Ald. Moore was too “toxic” to be THERE for a ceremony, does the Quinn Administration want the thought of Joe Moore around, and the “toxic” scrutiny that even the White House didn’t want? No snark, what ever happened with that appointment?
Agreed, the allegations of the employee are weak sauce, but the crux of the problem is that Joe Moore looks like he is at best paying “hush money”, and at worst be seen giving a “ghost payrolling” job, all the while… giving “severence”… to an employee worried about envelopes and letterhead?
Sounds like Joe Moore had a guilty conscious, for whatever reason, and fell into the “coverup is worse than the crime” trick bag. Who knows as of today, and maybe Joe Moore was being a stand-up guy and giving the money to make something right … but… that is not HIS money to decide to give to an employee he readily admits no longer worked there, but should get “something” upon leaving. Wow.
Funny thing about the “guys down the street” as Richard M. Daley called them … they think… they smell… something… or you give them reason to think they smell something … it is chum to sharks…
What ever happened to the Joe Moore appointment?
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:15 am
wasn’t he mentioned as a possible Quinn appointee to head the Illinois EPA? Foie gras for all!
Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:15 am
He better hope he didn’t fudge anything with the federales. “Miscommunications” can be interpreted as lies, and that can put you in jail.
A carpenter I know who did work for Rezmar told me a story of being approached by a couple of FBI agents in his driveway one morning.
They wanted to talk to him about work he had done at the Blago house.
My buddy said, “I want to be helpful, but I think I should talk to a lawyer first.”
One agent said, “That’s a good idea. And remember, when we ask you a question, we might already know the answer.”
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:19 am
City Hall scandals sure ain’t what they used to be.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:41 am
I’ve never understood Moore’s appeal.
In contrast to some, he doesn’t really have an open and transparent process when it comes to things getting done.
When he was talking about moving to a new position he wanted to make sure his wife got his current position.
And while a certain way of dealing with others may be accepted if the ward is better off, we have not seen that in 49. It sure seems worse now than it did 20 years ago.
Sometimes I wonder if people like him just because they liked David Orr. Didn’t Moore work for David? Well, Joe is no David.
Comment by Skeeter Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:03 am
Joe Moore North side leader and statesman, I will believe it when I see it.
Comment by Mokenavince Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 1:16 pm
once again, he’s the new Larry Bloom. so very sad.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 4:49 pm
Word
Did the Federales ever come back to interrogate your carpenter friend?
Comment by reformer Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 5:11 pm
–Did the Federales ever come back to interrogate your carpenter friend?–
Yes. They were trying to corroborate the value of the work done by Rezmar at the Blago home.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:04 pm