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Daley issues non-denial denial on Laski allegations

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* Mayor Daley was asked about Jim Laski’s book yesterday, including allegations of corruption that lead directly to the 5th Floor…

The mayor was asked point-blank whether Laski was lying when he claimed to have worked through Daley’s top lieutenants to get Hired Truck business for the lifelong friend who betrayed him.

“He’ll say everything in a book about me. Nobody else. That’s how it is,” Daley said, claiming Laski is “definitely” trying to sell the book by making such allegations.

That would be known in the parlance as a “non-denial denial.”

* More…

“Jim Laski has had a lot of personal problems in his life and challenges,” Daley said Thursday. “I know his family. Just get on with his wife, get on with his family, and handle his own situation. I am not going to respond to his personal challenges.”

* Laski responds…

“When is he gonna have the guts to stand up and tell the truth? It’s typical Daley,” Laski said. “Somebody called him on something, and he doesn’t like it. He’s the mayor. He’s not God. Take responsibility.”

* The Sun-Times editorial board made a good point today…

City Hall might try to dismiss Laski, but his book raises a question that won’t go away — what did Daley know?

* The mayor did get off a good shot at the newspapers yesterday…

Mayor Richard Daley on Thursday defended the right of Ald. James Balcer (11th) to deny a zoning request for a property in Daley’s native ward and scoffed at the notion that retribution against a developer who has sued the city played any role.

“It’s all ‘political payback’ when someone denies somebody,” Daley said. “I hear that all the time.” […]

Though fingers have been pointed by the media in the Bridgeport Village case, both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune have been happy to accept zoning “favors” from him, Daley said.

“It’s all right for you, but it is inappropriate for someone else to get it,” he said.

Deny without directly denying and then shift blame elsewhere. Classic Daley.

* Meanwhile, Laski told Fox Chicago about how things allegedly worked in Bill Lipinski’s 23rd Ward…

Mark Suppelsa: “So you guys would not only forge signatures, but you’d even take a look at absentee ballots.”

Jim Laski: “Yeah.”

Mark Suppelsa: “Would you guys cut and paste too if it wasn’t the right…?”

Jim Laski: “Yeah chads were pasted.”

Mark Suppelsa: “If it wasn’t the right guy, you’d move it to the right…”

Jim Laski: “Sure.”

Mark Suppelsa: “Really.”

Mark Suppelsa: “The Chicago way.”

Jim Laski: “The Chicago way.”

* Could Daley’s Olympics bid be tainted by the “Chicago way”?

Chicago 2016 chairman Pat Ryan met with a member of the International Olympic Committee in Kuwait on Feb. 5, officials confirmed Thursday, possibly breaking an Olympic regulation. That rule is designed to insulate IOC voters who will decide which city will host the games.

But Ryan did not speak with Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah — who is an IOC member and head of the Olympic Council of Asia — about Chicago’s efforts to secure the Games, Chicago 2016 spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. Sandusky said they discussed education.

OK.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 9:31 am

Comments

Laski is finally telling the truth. Of course, that means he has lots of personal problems. As a corrupt, lying elected official he was principled, now that he has found morals he, obviously, is just trying to sell a book-Ah Daley.

Comment by Garp Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 10:39 am
quick quick look the other way….announce the police dept. shakeup.

Comment by Amy Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 10:58 am
So would the Lipinski’s tricks help explain why Danny Boy got 54% of the primary vote. Living in the district, I just don’t get it. None of the people I speak with supported him.

Comment by anon Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 11:00 am
So far, the Laski revelations have been rather tame, but I’m sure I’ll pick up the book. For a glimpse of Chicago corruption from an insider, I’d recommend “When Corruption was King” by Robert Cooley, if you haven’t read it. Great First Ward, Outfit, Alderman, Greylord stuff.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 11:26 am
I really don’t think any of that stuff goes on much any more. Laski is talking about stuff going back to the 70’s & 80’s when he did precinct work. The systems are different now, and people are watching like they didn’t use to do. If the machine was fixing ballots, Anita A. would not have won the SA primary. They do still use stuff like ballot challenges and city workers doing political work to keep an advantage, I’d think.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 11:26 am
I meant petition challenges.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 11:27 am
Still failing to understand why the media patsies don’t press the issue a bit more. Whether it’s Laski, TIFs, the mayor’s son/nephew, CPD, zoning matters, 11th ward follies, Hired Truck, property taxes, CTA - the menu is long. Not a day passes without a new or resurrected story about corruption, nepotism, patronage, abuse, and/or fraud that the print and electronic media fail to vet out in acceptable journalistic fashion.

We all claim to want reformed, streamlined, and forthright government, but few seem willing to take action.

Comment by The Doc Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 11:36 am
His story seems intriguing I can’t wait to get my hands on this book. I can only wish there were the internet and the Capitol Fax when the first Daley was mayor. The coverage and complaining would have been off the chain!

Comment by Levois Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 12:15 pm
Laski is a miscreant. The sheets in his jail cell are barely cool and he’s out there on a media tour shilling his book, the main revelation of which seems to be: I was a crook. I was a cheater. I was a liar. And Daley knew that I was a lying, cheating crook. Garbage went into jail, garbage came out.

If the Seventh Circuit does the right thing and tosses the Sorich et. al. case, maybe John Kass and the rest of the snickering scriveners will find some real corruption to write about.

Comment by chiatty Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 12:28 pm
“Power corrupts and absolute powoer corrupts absolutely.” Daley has been the micromanager of a very corrupt political system.” Although I never had a high opinion of Laski, I think his general thesis about how things have been done at City Hall during the Daley adminstration are generally credible. The system is corrupt and Daley has been completely in charge of the system. Therefore, Daley is corrupt - competent but corrupt. Daley has not put any money in his own pocket,but insiders,his friends, associates, and family have profited hugely from the way the system operates to the detriment of taxpayers and average citizens excluded from the system.

Comment by Captain America Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 12:43 pm
As a past Chicago precinct captain, I’m offended. There are many, many precinct captains who strive to follow the rules. We work our precincts with the intention of doing good. We love a visit by the Mayor, the folks in my precinct would line up for days to get a chance to have a word, shake his hand. We can actively point out improvements, tell stories of residents who got help with no clout, intro you to people who would love to sit for 10, 20, however many minutes, just to talk to the Mayor. There’s a tremendous amount of good out there in the Wards of Chicago. Mayor Daley is a great Mayor in a great city. Laski is a crooked has-been, with no city to call home.

Comment by Daley Fan Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 1:23 pm
Pasting chads sounds like fun — a lot more fun than watching a judge zero-out all of the scanner votes in the middle of the day. All that took was a poke into the back of the scanner. Once the scanner had erased all of the votes, the judges got to re-scan the ballots. Of course, whether the ballots then reflected what the original voter marked is a BIG question.

Comment by RBD Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 1:50 pm
The fact that so many city government decisions on zoning issues and all types of other matters are questioned is primarily due to the corruption that has been exposed over the years in city, county and state governments in Illinois. While Daley surely thinks that the media is piling on when he is questioned about so many seemingly minor matters, no one is more to blame for this situation than he is. The buck has got to stop somewhere, and Laski (cretin though he may be) is surely right that in Chicago it stops on the 5th floor of City Hall.

Comment by B Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 2:03 pm
I don’t even accept the premise that Daley is a competent leader. Marginally competent, maybe, but his managerial skills are vastly overrated due to spin from his well-oiled PR machine.

Just because Laski is a crook does not mean he is lying about Daley. Is what Laski saying about Daley preposterous? Hardly. His accusations are straight from the Daley’s playbook the past 19 years.

I liken Laski to Jose Canseco in that both are cheats with poor ethics, vilified for making their accusations, but Laski will be proven largely correct just as Canseco was.

Comment by Independent Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 3:08 pm
I find the idea of pasting chads extraordinarily difficult to believe.

Comment by Jon Shibley Fan Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 3:28 pm
Me too.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 3:29 pm
Who needs to paste chads when you can hire an insider election lawyer and bounce your opponent from the ballot with a petition challenge or a recount?

Comment by Jake From Elwood Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 4:07 pm
I think, even though Laski was City Clerk, he himself was outside some of the circles in which the Federales were interested.

There was some news coverage and commentary speculating on this at the time, i.e., he didn’t seem to get a deal in exchange for any information.

Does any one else recall this? I am going to try and read his self-published book out of curiosity.

Go Cubs. Yeah, Go Cubs.

Comment by Scheduler Friday, Feb 15, 08 @ 4:58 pm
It’s amazing how many wrong things Daley does and gets away with, at least so far.

Too bad the Daley folks are controlling the Olympic bid instead of it being truly independent. If we lose, that will be the reason.

Comment by Kathy Saturday, Feb 16, 08 @ 10:29 am
Widda nod to dat fine, fine writer Barry O’Bama, dis Laski shudda called da book “Da City of Mope.”

Comment by Punley Dieter Finn Saturday, Feb 16, 08 @ 4:45 pm