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* Um…
Rahm Emanuel’s mayoral reign ends in May, but thanks to contracts he’s extended to many key agency heads, whoever replaces Emanuel will be stuck with them for years to come — or pay handsomely for the privilege of making new appointments.
A clean sweep of the heads of the Chicago Park District, City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Housing Authority would cost taxpayers at least $820,000 in golden parachute salaries — and more for benefits — in addition to the salaries for the new appointees. That’s according to an analysis of those contracts by the Chicago Sun-Times. […]
• City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado would be entitled to a full year’s salary of at least $256,250, plus health insurance for himself and his family for the duration of the contract ending June 30, 2020 — until he finds a new job with similar benefits.
• Also guaranteed a full year’s pay — $291,500 — is Chicago Housing Authority CEO Eugene Jones Jr., who’d also get six months’ health insurance for himself and his family, if he’s fired without cause. Jones’ contract lasts until Dec. 31, 2020.
• Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson is entitled to six months’ pay on her $260,000-a-year salary if she’s terminated without cause, plus six months of health insurance for herself and her family.
Bill Daley and Susana Mendoza have both slammed the mayor for doing this.
* Meanwhile, Mendoza spent a lot of time early in the campaign going after Toni Preckwinkle. But she was always vying for second place, so that made little sense. Attacking Daley is the much better move, but it’s very late…
Susana Mendoza lit into rival mayoral hopeful Bill Daley on Monday for the city’s leasing of parking meters, accusing him of lying about his role in the unpopular privatization deal.
“It was good business for your family, but it was terrible business for Chicagoans,” Mendoza said, criticizing Daley for writing an op-ed defending the deal a year ago. “That’s about as big of a lie as you telling Chicagoans right now that you were not a key advisor to your brother during his key caretaker years as mayor. Of course you were.”
Daley fired back: “I obviously helped my brother get elected, I was his political advisor. … I had my own life, I went off and did a lot of things that had nothing to do with my brother and this administration.”
* Speaking of Daley, AFSCME Illinois Council 31 just dropped $60K on digital ads attacking him. As we’ve discussed, Daley is the lone “pension reform” candidate in the race.
* If you’ve been wondering whatever happened to Chris Kennedy…
Rich –
I am supporting Bill Daley for mayor, and I hope you will, too.
Bill Daley can keep our city safe and fair. Bill Daley will support the things that are working, and he can fix the things that aren’t, and he has the wisdom to know the difference.
He will give all of our children a reason to stay in Chicago and an opportunity to do so.
He knows underfunded schools and violent neighborhoods push people away; he knows that jobs and safety attract people to stay.
He will end the gentrification of our neighborhoods while expanding the growth of our economic engines.
He will end the property tax appeals racket that is overtaxing our neighborhoods and enriching our elected officials and party leaders.
He will go to Washington to make sure Chicago gets our fair share of the federal budget.
We protect what we love, and we love what we understand. Bill understands the neighborhoods, the traditions, and the cultures that make the city great, and he loves them, and he will protect them.
Bill knows that corruption is destroying our reputation, threatening our economy, and killing our most vulnerable. Bill Daley can clean up the corruption, and he knows you can’t bring reform if you’re beholden to the bosses.
He will stand up to the bosses, the bureaucrats, and the bullies.
We need servant leaders, not leaders of servants.
Bill is that servant leader.
– Chris Kennedy
…Adding… Willie Wilson has been using this Kennedy testimonial in his own ads…
* Related…
* Mendoza’s rise built on alliances with old-school Democrats: “At times you have to work with people even if you don’t like them. At times, you end up building strong relationships. At other times, those relationships fall apart,” Mendoza told the Tribune. “You can’t expect to get anything done in politics if you’re not willing to work with people across the aisle or within your own party.”
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:22 pm
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Not sure to what extent CGK’s endorsement will help Daley. Makes him look like the North Shore’s candidate especially in light of Ken Griffin.
Comment by Near West side Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:32 pm
“Later, (Rich) Daley appointed her to be a Project Coordinator in the Department of Planning”
A project coordinator? What the heck is that & what did she do? And yet she goes on attacking Bill. Amazing
Comment by low level Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:33 pm
I thought only wack-a-doo Illinois public university big-shots got golden parachutes.
Enough already. There has to be a legislative way to stop these ripoffs, going forward.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:34 pm
“Bill is that servant leader.
– Chris Kennedy”
Yikes.
Comment by lakeside Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:34 pm
===And yet she goes on attacking Bill===
Poor little fella.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:34 pm
IMO those contracts to the extent they extend beyond Rahm’s term will be void on the basis they run counter to public policy. This is the worst thing Rahm has done as Mayor. His actions are outrageous
Comment by Sue Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:39 pm
“He will go to Washington to make sure Chicago gets our fair share of the federal budget”
Yikes.
Things are worse than we even thought if they are openly talking about Washington coming through with more money for Chicago.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:40 pm
Did Rahm learn that move from Pat Quinn when he hired Lou Bertuca CEO for the sports authority board?
Comment by Jose Abreu's next homer Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:40 pm
Rahm has done some really absurd things to this great City but this might be the worst in some ways. Shocking that he got boards to go along with this.
I suspect any court would not uphold the contracts at firing (especially with a board vote to rescind or disallow such contracts prior thereto). Garbage leadership.
Comment by Galena Gregory Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:46 pm
Why would we want to end the gentrification of our neighborhoods Chris Kennedy?
Gentrified neighborhoods mean people who will pay disproportionally higher taxes and require few government services want to live and work in Chicago and raise their children here.
How on earth can Chicago pay the bills they have run up for decades without more gentrified neighborhoods whose property values are rising paying higher taxes?
Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:47 pm
FWIW, I don’t think Griffin has ever lived in the North Shore.
Comment by @Near West Side Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:47 pm
Is bill daley running for mayor of kennilworth too?
Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:55 pm
I assume Kennedy knows Daley from their days together at By Your Own Bootstraps Academy.
Comment by LXB Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:55 pm
I’m not especially against Rahm’s move here. If you get a surprise mayor (Amara, Lightfoot) you get stable (albeit lame duck) officials advancing the mission of the government. If not then you’ve left not only a personnel and loyalty but a budget bomb as well for your successor, in which case booooo.
Comment by Hammer Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 12:59 pm
To her credit, Mendoza is at her best on offense going after people like Daley and Rauner. Question is if the pivot came too late.
Comment by WSJ Paywall Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:04 pm
Unfortunately, Daley benefits from being above the fray compared to Preckwinkle and Mendoza. Preckwinkle and Mendoza really do not have anything to say to distance themselves from Burke, or Berrios for Preckwinkle. Their responses to these issue are so lame and awkward.
I think if someone ends up one-on-one against Daley, they need to go full vulture capitalism on him. Make him into the Chicago Mitt Romney.
Daley is one that I really do not want. He will just bring 4-8 years of budget gimmicks and self aggrandizement like his brother. Chicago really cannot afford more Daley years.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:04 pm
So the son of the Chicago machine is the best one to combat the Chicago machine? I think Chris has watched Star Wars a few too many times.
Comment by A Jack Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:07 pm
Not surprising at all. In the words of the immortal Jack Brickhouse: The Daleys and the Kennedys go back, back, back…a long time.
Comment by A guy Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:11 pm
==poor little fella==
Not saying you should feel sorry for him but its quite rich (pun not intended) she should go on the attack saying “it was good for you and your family” when Mendoza herself benefited from the same system by getting a nice job aftet she lost.
Her attacks fall flat in that light.
Not saying to feel sorry for Daley by any means. The attacks themselves are dumb imho.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:12 pm
Scam-alot.
Score another one for the plutocracy.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:22 pm
How come Chris doesn’t have Billy boy going to SPI, but he does go all the way to DC? Curious
Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:23 pm
Jose Abreu next homer- you mean like Rauner just did last year for Bedelov at the sports authority. Check out that contract and ask who was that a favor for?
Comment by Long time R Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:26 pm
Has JB done any contracts with his top staff or cabinet directors?
Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:27 pm
Think Bill Daley agrees with Chris Kennedy that the powers that be are driving out Black Chicagoans?
Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:43 pm
Nevertheless, the old/rich white guys coalesced…
Comment by d. p. gumby Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 1:51 pm
==Not saying you should feel sorry for him but its quite rich (pun not intended) she should go on the attack saying “it was good for you and your family” when Mendoza herself benefited from the same system by getting a nice job aftet she lost. ==
You really want to compare a $60/70k a year job to the literal millions the Daley family has made from the city, not including sweetheart private sector deals and jobs for the lot? That’s a solid, legit hit she landed. Mendoza, like many others in this race, wasn’t born into a family of privilege where they literally had everything handed to them.
Comment by Shytown Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 2:16 pm
When it’s all said & done Bill Daley will have raised the same amount for the first round of the Mayor’s race as Kennedy did for his Gubernatorial bid - about $8 Million, so maybe we were a little too harsh on Bill Daley’s rolodex back in the primary - it’s Mayor good just not Governor’s race against a billionaire good.
Comment by Fax Machine Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 2:26 pm
As far as Mendoza is concerned, don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house.
Comment by "Old Timer Dem" Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 3:05 pm
Prekwinkle is imploding. I wonder who will be the person against Daley in the run off.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 3:17 pm
Mendoza is audacious at the least. She says she works hard, and we know at what - holding down two jobs simultaneously at taxpayer expense (city clerk and state rep, state comptroller and maybe mayor). She’s tight with Burke. She rose working for Rich Daley. But last night she lectures Bill Daley about ethics .. ha ha. Wow.
Comment by west wing Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 3:32 pm
–She says she works hard, and we know at what - holding down two jobs simultaneously at taxpayer expense (city clerk and state rep, state comptroller and maybe mayor).–
Yeah, that didn’t happen.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 3:40 pm
“Democrats” accepting $1 million from Ken Griffin = disqualified.
Comment by Stark Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 3:52 pm
Of course its a legit hit on Daley. Its also legit to observe that had she not been the HDO candidate, she would not have gotten the “project coordinator” position at the city.
Funny thing is, in all her campaigns I’ve never once heard her talk about what “projects” she “coordinated” - or what exactly she did while at DPD.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 3:56 pm
== Mendoza is audacious at the least. She says she works hard, and we know at what - holding down two jobs simultaneously at taxpayer expense ==
That’s such a dum dum analysis. You’re probably advising Daley too.
Comment by Shytown Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 3:58 pm
Always the fraud, Ole Susana will gush and curtsy the gov Wednesday, feigning interest in her day job as she runs for mayor. Does anyone but me remember her endorcement of and appearance in an Aaron Schock ad? Hence, my point about her being a fraud.
Comment by Feeder pig Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 4:10 pm
==Think Bill Daley agrees with Chris Kennedy that the powers that be are driving out Black Chicagoans?==
The only reason that this was a part of Kennedy’s platform in the first place was because Amara Enyia was a policy advisor to his campaign and educated him on the issues black chicagoans wanted to hear about. Its clear now that his commitment to ending black flight ended in March 2018.
Comment by A Non E. Moose Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 4:14 pm
Wordslinger - I stand corrected. You’re correct. Mendoza didn’t hold the City Clerk and State Rep jobs simultaneously - In fact, she held the State Rep and Mayor Daley’s Department of Planning Job at the same time.
Comment by west wing Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 4:24 pm
==Bill is that servant leader==
Yeah, and he happened to have found $28 million stuck between the sofa cushions.
Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 5:02 pm
Is Joyce not the solid choice?
Comment by Basta Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 6:09 pm
Reviewing the Chicago Park District Act (quickly), there does not appear to be statutory authorization granting authority to the park board to give contracts beyond their term. Therefore, they are limited by Milikin v Edgar County, 142 Ill. 528 (1892), which holds that a muni corp cannot enter into contracts beyond the terms of the board authorizing the contract. Public policy of the state is that government boards cannot bind their successors without explicit statutory authorization.
Comment by Publius Tuesday, Feb 19, 19 @ 6:47 pm