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* Former Chicago Ald. Leon Despres dead at 101

* Leon Despres Dies at 101

* Former Alderman Leon Despres Dies At 101

* Leon Despres, 1908-2009: Chicago alderman challenged elder Mayor Daley

* Former Ald. Leon Despres voted early, often for Chicago reform

* The grand independent

* Leon Despres Remembered

* Job cuts hit 6-month low in April, Illinois mass layoffs also decline

* New jobless claims unexpectedly plunge

* Keep Hartmarx in business

* Mayor Daley order: Up to 16 unpaid days off for some city workers to ease budget crunch

Mayor Daley today will order 3,500 nonunion employees to take up to 16 days off without pay by Dec. 31, turning up the heat on union leaders to agree to similar concessions.

Last month, Daley threatened to lay off 1,600 city employees — none sworn police officers or firefighters — unless organized labor agrees to another round of givebacks to erase a $300 million shortfall.

They were asked to pick their poison from a $68.9 million menu that includes two furlough days a month for nine months ($24.9 million); comp time instead of cash for overtime ($17.8 million); making six remaining 2009 holidays unpaid ($9 million); a 5 percent pay cut ($12.9 million) and eliminating the July 1 increase in the prevailing wage ($12.9 million).

So far, none of the unions has agreed to cuts. Some are concerned about how city givebacks would impact private-sector negotiations. Others want a guarantee that, if concessions are granted, there won’t be layoffs for the next two years.

* Mayor Daley unveils plan to spend $19.5 million in federal stimulus funds

* Cook County Board: President Todd Stroger rethinks tax-repeal veto

* Stroger may not veto Cook County sales tax repeal

“The county sales tax . . . was very detrimental. . . . The retailers will tell you that. This is very, very serious for them,” Daley said.

He said county commissioners “realized what an impact it had upon everyone in Cook County — a very negative impact. . . . It was strictly something that, I think, they had to do.”

Saying he’s not trying to pick a fight, Stroger told the Sun-Times: “The city has raised nine different taxes in the last two years.”

The mayor has raised taxes, fines and fees by a whopping $329 million, including the largest property tax increase in Chicago history. In 2005, his $85.7 million tax package included a one-quarter of one percent increase in the Chicago sales tax.

* Murphy says Todd Stroger deserves a statue

“All the independent Democrats, all the Republicans on the county board, have been saying the sales tax hike wasn’t needed,” Murphy said. “So I decided to vote to repeal the tax hike, and now we’ll see what they do. I want to see how they deal with all the program cuts, how they balance the budget. Let them deal with all the criticism.”

Murphy still believes the higher tax is necessary.

“The president (Stroger) did the right thing,” she said. “There are county governments all over the country in deep financial trouble today, but not Cook County because we passed the sales tax hike.”

* Mayor Daley: Repeal sales-tax increase

“It’s not my job to stop it,” he said. “I have enough problems.” Asked if the unpopular tax increase has left Stroger, who’s seeking reelection next year, dead politically, Daley said, “No, I don’t think so. I don’t know why you would say that. He’s very hard-working.”

* Daley: Cook County sales tax increase ‘very detrimental’

* What the Sales Tax Repeal Means to Cook County’s Budget

Board President Todd Stroger says the tax repeal would cost Cook County $300-million. To make up for that, Stroger says several health clinics and two hospitals would have to be shut down.

Lawrence Msall is with The Civic Federation, a government watchdog group. He says he’s surprised the administration threatened to cut health services, seeing as a lot of the money from the sales tax increase has gone toward the county payroll.

* Stroger should skip veto of sales tax repeal, manage better

* 2010 County Board Election Getting Under Way

* Disgusted with Cook County? Then you should run for office

* Three nominated as new Sangamon County Democratic chairman

* Report: Most Chicago elevators aren’t inspected

* Leaping carp throws Ill. man from jet ski

* Google goats: Should Mayor Richard Daley hire herd to munch weeds?

* Preservation agency to rule on Reese; assessment of hospital campus’ historical significance is required, law says

posted by Mike Murray
Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 10:06 am

Comments

“The president (Stroger) did the right thing,” she said. “There are county governments all over the country in deep financial trouble today, but not Cook County because we passed the sales tax hike.”

This is the thinking for government officials in counties that are the daily providers for their constituents. These officials believe it is more important to keep county governments fiscally healthy than it is to keep other governments, such as school districts heathy or to keep family budgets healthy. They see themselves as the providers for families, so are willing to take from everyone else.

County governments should not have been empowered to the point where the officials running them feel more important than parents. But, when you have a socialist mentality, this is what you get as a result. The thousands of Cook County residents who have been infantized by politicians willing to position themselves as parents, instead of empowering parents and encouraging families, do not have liberties, responsibilities or freedoms. The good intentions behind this government ideology has tremendous negative consequences we have been seeing for three generations.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Murphy said during a telephone conversation from her downtown Chicago office.

Good advice, but better would be to stop wishing and start building your life so you can stand up and grow up to be a fully functioning responsible adult.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 10:30 am
You know what, VanMan, believe it or not, there are actually people who, through no fault of their own, are not as fortunate as you are. Cook County provides medical care for hundreds of thousands of people who have nowhere else to turn. They provide medical services to indigent patients from not only Cook, but also from Will, Lake, and even DuPage. Many of these patients have no access to health insurance, many are unemployed or working poor, some homeless, many hungry.
The Courts and jails and states attorneys process hundreds of thousands of prisoners, the recorder processes hundreds of thousands of deeds, etc.,etc..
Cook County government is a bargain for taxpayers whether we use county services or not. I am happy to pay both my property taxes and my sales taxes to the County because I know my money is being put to good use. President Stroger has done a decent job bolstering revenue and services to ensure a safety net for residents. He should be applauded and re-elected, not ridiculed.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 10:58 am
As someone who rides a lot of elevators in some very tall Chicago buildings, the news that the city appears to be blowing off most of its mandatory annual inspections is disconcerting.

That feeling is intensified by the experience last August of being stuck in a small elevator for 45 minutes with two well-exercised and fed-up bike messengers at the end of a scorching Friday.

Amazingly though, city officials have unknowingly stumbled upon a solution to problem elevators that will also save taxpayers money.

–Officials tell the Tribune that when people have called about an elevator, it’s always been inspected.–

In other words, only elevators that have been inspected are breaking down. This is truly a revolutionary discovery. The cause and effect are inescapable and conclusive, as is the immediate course of action: stop inspecting elevators.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 11:09 am
You know what, VanMan, believe it or not, there are actually people who, through no fault of their own, are not as fortunate as you are.

Did you know that life sometimes isn’t fair, and that nothing we can do will end that? Did you know that when you tax struggling families in order to empower governments to play Robin Hood, you create more unfortunates, making the problem worse?

I want my liberties honored and I want to be empowered to choose. The world you demand everyone pay for isn’t attainable and robs everyone of their freedoms, creating more problems.

Consider capitalism for a change, OK?

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 11:53 am
I’m not sure whether I should direct my reply @ Bill or whether I should address him by his proper name, Todd…

That Cook County government provides services is a red herring. The more important question is whether taxpayer money is being spent in a responsible fashion. The answer to this question is a resounding NO.

County government is incredibly wasteful and corrupt. Patronage and cronyism is still rife in the Stroger administration. In July, the federal hiring monitor Julia Nowicki, said that patronage still influenced hiring and that a watchdog would be needed for AT LEAST 18 more months. Do well run organization’s need publicly funded watchdogs?

The Donna Dunnings fiasco was nepotism at its finest. And how exactly did Tony Cole go from being a college basketball player, to a busboy, to a human resources exec pulling in $61,000/year?

Cook County government is far from a bargain, it is a kleptocracy, plain and simple.

Comment by Blah, blah, blah Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 12:16 pm
Daley wants his administrators to take off 16 days from now till the end of the year. If most months have 22 work days, Daley would be doing without about 10% of his management till years end.

The City administration is so top heavy this is actually possible without affecting services. This is not the case with the rank and file. Multitudes of new Shackman exempt management positions were created by the Mayor in his 20 years.

A Director who reported to a 1st Deputy’s 20 years ago now reports to a General Manager who reports to an Assistant Commissioner who reports to a Deputy Commissioner who reports to a Managing Deputy Commissioner who finally reports to the 1st Deputy.

Amazingly, this was all done with supposed technological improvements designed to reduce management like employee automatic swipe in and vehicle GPS monitoring, ect.

Most of these middle managers oversee privatized contractors who have their own managers anyway so taking off a few days is no great loss. So they skip lunch with their contractors for a few days.

There are now and have been too many excess middle managers on the City of Chicago payroll collecting huge salaries and many now collecting huge pensions.

Of course Daley can make demands of his managers who are triple deep anyway, I’ll stick with the garbage men.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 12:43 pm
Providing a safety net for the less advantaged is not playing Robin Hood, it is a common decency. If capitalism is depriving any citizen in the richest country in the world their basic health care needs so you don’t have to pay a couple of pennies for every dollar you spend then maybe you should find another country to live in that practices your brand. When you find that country let us let us all know where it is. Spare us the greed, class warfare, and right wing talking points.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 12:50 pm
Blah,
In every large organization there will be some of the problems you describe. In fact, just to pick one, Ms. Dunnings was the most qualified person ever to hold her position both in education and experience. She did a fine job and will be sorely missed. As a resident of Cook County I see everyday how the job is getting done. Who is related to who is not relevant if the job gets done well and efficiently.The fact that some goo goo judge finds it necessary to appoint his own little patronage employee as some supposed “watchdog” just means to me that there is something wrong with the fed court system.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 12:55 pm
Bill, I’ll assume it was you who defended Blago, till is was painfully obvious that he was as dirty as they come. If that assumption is correct, then your support of another undeserving, political hack such as Todd Storger should come as no surprise. What many of are sick and tired of is not that we have to pay taxes but that they are so missused, abused and stolen by the tax eaters and their supporters.

Comment by RobRoy Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 1:12 pm
RIP, Alderman Despres. You and Studs Terkel certainly shook things up around these parts for a long, long time. You will be missed.

Comment by Boone Logan Square Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:18 pm
On the elevator inspections…

Back in 2002, the General Assembly passed Public Act 92-0873. The State Fire Marshall’s office was charged with enforcement, but I’m not sure if the licensing includes elevators located inside the City of Chicago.

Here’s link to the SFM’s website about elevators:
http://www.state.il.us/osfm/Elevator/Overview.htm

Nobody will ever admit it, but it’s been a fairly continuous rolling train wreck. And there’s all sorts of horror stories out there of people getting hit with massive, totally unexpected expenses for pretty marginal reasons.

But there are winners in the process. If you are a licensed contractor, inspector, or elevator inspections company, you just got a bonanza of guaranteed business.

Regulation - ain’t it beautiful.

The current State Elevator Board members are:
FRANK CHRISTENSEN, CHAIRMAN
TOM GANIERE, Member
ROD GILLES, Member
RICHARD GREGORY, Member
MARK HERTSBERG, Member
KENNETH MASON, Member
KELLY WELLER, Member

Comment by JUdgment Day Is On The Way Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 8:43 pm