Thursday, October 22, 2009

Ben Joravsky Article

  • On October 15, Mayor Richard M. Daley held a press conference to break some bad news: To erase a $500 million budget deficit for next year, he would probably have to eliminate jobs, cut services, and dip into reserve funds generated by leasing the Skyway and the parking meters.

    But behind the scenes, the mayor and his chief aides were proposing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on a rehab of Willis Tower, subsidies for privately run hospitals and Fortune 500 corporations, and pet neighborhood projects that won't be included in the official city budget.

    We recently came into possession of hard evidence of what we've long argued: that the city produces two annual budgets, one released to the public, covered by the media, and debated by the City Council, and the other forged behind closed doors by the Daley administration, shared only in pieces with certain aldermen, and never fully disclosed to citizens. Both budgets are funded by taxpayers.

And this "shadow budget" shows Shortshanks awash in cash.

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55 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Say it isn't so!!! I just love Richie on the news, in his somber tones, looking like he's going to cry, talking about the budget. He has more money than God hidden away.

10/22/2009 12:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

He's not going to make it again if he runs for mayor.

10/22/2009 12:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

THIEVES!!!
they tax the crap out of the normal citizen, skimp city services, lay off working people to take care of the priveleged few!
WE NEED A FEDERAL AUDIT OF THE CITY FINANCES!!!

10/22/2009 12:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

like we all said before...the books are cooked.

10/22/2009 12:27:00 AM  
Anonymous The Box Chevy Phantom said...

wow...

just fuckin' DISGUSTING!

we've been screaming and yelling bloody muthafuckin' murder about king shorty's financial 3 card monty regarding TIF funding for YEARS!

EVERYBODY with good sense and an eye for the sublime always knew there were two sets of books.

42 extra-short and the all the alderwhores should hang in chains for this financial malfeasance.

...hey mr. arbitrator, shortshanks is crying poor mouth... 6% per year plus retro plus interest in full on the retro. lyin' bastard!

10/22/2009 12:27:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mr. Ben Joravsky is a true reporter.
He has been on the Mayor's case with his TIF's for years.
None of the other so called reporter's in this town have the guts to tell the tale.
Who would have thought the Chicago Reader would turn out some of the greatest investigative stores.
Right ON and Power to the People

10/22/2009 01:03:00 AM  
Blogger Jocko said...

What an asshole!

10/22/2009 01:36:00 AM  
Blogger RP Free Speech said...

Daley, and his daddy, have long controlled Chicago--and made the 'politics' here some of the sleaziest in the world.

He also placed in power the current president...more sleaze...and the current chief of staff...even more sleaze...who have surrounded themselves with Marxo-Communists. Ah-merica is going down the proverbial drain (BIG sigh).

Everything I learned as a kid, at my cop-dad's side is being turned to dust in my lifetime. I thank God he is not here to see this. It would, were he alive, give him another clencher.

10/22/2009 01:48:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Knew it all along. Dirty.

10/22/2009 02:21:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Impeach the lying POS! Or not re-elect him in 20011.

10/22/2009 02:58:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wants mines, BITCH!

10/22/2009 03:20:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As the saying goes, the hands are quicker than the eyes. Just stop watching/listening what his lips are saying, and instead watch all the underhanded shenanigans he's pulling.

Gosh, I wish everyone's bank account funds were like his, just tell the creditors "I don't have the money" then go on a BILLION DOLLAR spending spree!!!

And one can always tell when it's Police contract negotiation season in Chicago; every single time he's mentioning budget cuts, lay offs, he's very quick to add "the police department is taking up most of the budget" nothing about the "olympic village" billions.

Nope no reason to remind anyone of that!!!

10/22/2009 03:27:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, let's hope that someone over at the FOP reads The Reader and drops a copy of that article smack in the middle of the arbitrators lap.

10/22/2009 03:32:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It has been known for a long time that the way to tell if daley is lying is to watch and see if his lips move. If they do, he is lying.

If Fitzgerald had to stop blago's public corruption crime wave, what in hell does he call the daley administration? If ever there was a public corruption crime wave, the administration of richard m. daley is it.

Please Fitz. put this arch-criminal behind bars now!

10/22/2009 04:23:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really? So exactly WHO is gonna make sure someone other than US find out about this shit?

The reader likely has a readership of what, couple hundred?

No one will find out about this unless the TV media focuses on it.

10/22/2009 06:26:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

meanwhile Daley waits til the very last minute to hire the 86 new recruits...HOW THE HELL DOES HE KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS SHIT? It sure would be nice to have a Supt. that called the mayor out on all this shit, I sure could respect someone like that...

10/22/2009 06:32:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If this is true, shouldn't the U S Attorney be looking into it? Two sets of books, two sets of rules. Who's looking out for the people?

10/22/2009 06:35:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Daley needs to get struck by Lightening & reduced to a pile of charred turds.

I mention "Divine Intervention" because he's obviously in bed with the Feds.

Dear God, Please........................................

10/22/2009 06:37:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dont cry poor to me shortshanks until u get rid of TIFFS

10/22/2009 07:14:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

IF true....How does this Mayor sleep at night. People are or might loss their jobs and most are having troube making ends meet. How does he sleep???!!!
I know people like this guy ( da Mayor ).
The only problem he MAY have is tring to sleep on a crappy pillow. And then he'll bitch and moan about it!!! Spoiled RICH Kid !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

F Him !!!!!!!
Pepsi

10/22/2009 07:15:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mayor Daley and Alderman Burke are the problem and are not part of the solution!

10/22/2009 07:42:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke rock. Mike Miner does a pretty great job too. The Reader has become the only paper to follow (SCC is terrific too)---too bad they only publish weekly.

10/22/2009 07:58:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please Fitz. put this arch-criminal behind bars now!

10/22/2009 04:23:00 AM

The same guy that railroaded Cozzi for J-Fed? I don't think so.

10/22/2009 08:01:00 AM  
Anonymous Mike Royko's Ghost said...

Amazing how a reporter at the READER is able to come up with this stuff, but the Department of Justice/U S Attorney doesn't have a clue that it is going on! And where is the rest of the mainstream media? They should be all over this!

My friend, Slats Grobnick, would be screaming his head off about this one. And speaking of Slats, he recently told me that my worthless, drug addicted, bank-robbing son is doing some Federal time in the slammer. That means my plan is workin! I figure if the dufuss is going to be wasting all the money I left him on drugs, then I should at least make him earn it. Thats why I slipped that fake bomb in his hands when he was at the bank to withdraw $$$$$ for dope.

Now, as a ghost, I am privy to lots of information that you mere mortals are not. Like I happen to know that the stuttering prick Mayor, I love that name by the way, will be entering the federal pokey himself during the next 21 months that my son will be serving. I've arranged for them to become cellmates so that I can get inside info from my son. Let's just call it research for my new book, "MOB BOSS: Richard M. Daley of Chicago By Mike Royko". It's guaranteed to be a CELLBLOCKBUSTER!

10/22/2009 08:23:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Benny the Bull is a one-trick pony for the Chicago Reader. Believe you me, if you guys weren't on his side trying to steamroll Daley, he would be throwing you and all of your bretheren under the bus. He is not a fan of the police, just uses you guys as part of his argument. He's no different than the Reveren Jackson and after Daley is out of office or the Reader fails (they're already in bankruptcy), he won't have anything nice to say about you. Trust me.

NOT A COP
Near West Side

10/22/2009 08:58:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm gonna run for mayor on the Abolish the TIFs platform.

Just get out there and say that there's hundreds of millions in City money out there, and that tax raises, etc, etc, are unneccssary.

Watch shortshanks try to respond to that. Just watch the shade of red he turns and the rivers of sweat down his face would be worth the effort.

10/22/2009 09:57:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please Fitz. put this arch-criminal behind bars now!

If you think Obama is gonna let Fitzgerald touch Daley you are dreaming, it isn't gonna happen; he's untouchable, and the biggest reason Daley worked so hard to get him elected....

10/22/2009 10:18:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
It has been known for a long time that the way to tell if daley is lying is to watch and see if his lips move. If they do, he is lying.

If Fitzgerald had to stop blago's public corruption crime wave, what in hell does he call the daley administration? If ever there was a public corruption crime wave, the administration of richard m. daley is it.

Please Fitz. put this arch-criminal behind bars now!

10/22/2009 04:23:00 AM

It will never happen daley "owns" obama after making him president,now obama will take care of the criminal1

10/22/2009 10:21:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Mayor Daley and Alderman Burke are the problem and are not part of the solution!

10/22/2009 07:42:00 AM

how many drivers valets do they have? how many vehicles we pay for? how much coffee and donuts do they pick up? all at D-3 and burkes 2 on 3 OFF schedule+ot!

10/22/2009 10:23:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
meanwhile Daley waits til the very last minute to hire the 86 new recruits...HOW THE HELL DOES HE KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS SHIT? It sure would be nice to have a Supt. that called the mayor out on all this shit, I sure could respect someone like that...

10/22/2009 06:32:00 AM

Cline like him or not,did just that! When the budget director idiot told Cline he had to cut CPD,Cline went to mayor and told him we could not and the mayor approved monies! Now j-fed does whatever he is told as he is not his own man!

10/22/2009 10:24:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Vote this motherfucker out already. If he wins another election, everybody is getting exactly what they deserve.

10/22/2009 10:36:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The truth of the matter is that Da Mayo was going to use the Olympics to bail himself out of a huge mess. His arrogance of not even attending the first roiund of voting in Coppenhagen because he was already counting the money. This shows that Da Mayo thinks he's God. Minutes after not getting the bid he made the call to start putting the budget together. In three weeks they smash together a budget and shove it down our throats. Sounds like Obama health plan shove it down peoples throats before they know whats in it. In city politics there is nobody to dispute most of the lies. The only Republican in the council has voted for more of Da Mayos agenda then Burke. The FOP should think about taking out some ad space in the Reader since they seem to be the only news outlet to keep an eye on Da Mayo,

10/22/2009 10:57:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't understand, why would the mayor lie to the citizens of Chicago? This must be a hoax.

10/22/2009 11:21:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why isn't this all over the news?

10/22/2009 11:38:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Please Fitz. put this arch-criminal behind bars now!

10/22/2009 04:23:00 AM

The same guy that railroaded Cozzi for J-Fed? I don't think so.

10/22/2009 08:01:00 AM

J-Fed and his buddy FBI SAIC Grant were the prime movers in that, they pushed hard for that indictment, the US Attorney did not look into it on their own, it was all FBI.

Never trust a fed.

10/22/2009 12:06:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I suspect this is one of the many advantages of working under the FBI. He is allowed to play dirty as long as nobody loses their life, within his administration. Meanwhile the city streets flow with blood of many. What a country!!

10/22/2009 12:34:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A lot of people say that Daley will not win re-election, and a lot of people think that Todd will not win re-election. I think all of these folks are wrong and we will be stuck with Daley and the Todster for until they are ready to step down. No one of any credibility ever runs against them and, frankly, people just do not come out and vote. I can only imagine the outcry if 100 white ministers held a press conference for a white candidate. Oh, My!!

10/22/2009 03:22:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

10/22/2009 03:27:00 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, let's hope that someone over at the FOP reads The Reader and drops a copy of that article smack in the middle of the arbitrators lap.

10/22/2009 03:32:00 AM

We can hope...but how about delivering a copy or two down to the F.O.P offices so that they can't use the excuse that they don't have a copy of the article. I personally didn't see the article, but this is something that should be hand delivered to the officers at the F.O.P.

10/22/2009 04:13:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

From Chicago Business Daily in 2006

"The city of Chicago's decision to lease the Chicago Skyway to an international toll road operator for 99 years in exchange for $1.83 billion.

Mark Florian, managing director for Goldman, Sachs & Co., which advised the city on the deal, said Chicago used its proceeds to reduce debt, set up a $500 million "rainy day" fund, provide $375 million to its annual operating budget, and help pay for some social service programs. The city also saw its bond rating upgraded a notch, to A+, which is expected to help the city save money on interest when it borrows money."

I'm not good at math but 500M plus 375M is 8.75M. what happened to almost a billion USC?
1 billion in a fixed account making 4/5 %. for three years?

Where is the $$$

10/22/2009 05:45:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What FOP ought to do is hire a real reporter, have him or her get Press Credentials, and ask all the questions we wish the mainstream media would ask. Let see the short man blow a gasket nightly on TV.

Here is an idea for a thread; you are a reporter for SECONDCITYCOP News. What legit question would you ask the mayor at a press conference? It has to be something that can be seen on the news so, "Is it true you dress in woman's underwear?", is out.

Remember this question he was asked several years ago by a citizen who wrote into the Sun-Times.

Question: "How can the Mayor give himself a 35% pay increase and the Aldermen get a 30% pay increase while you only offer the firefighters and police officers a 2% pay increase?"

Daley's Answer: "I am the Mayor of a great city, the Alderman are the legislators of a great city. I am proud of the salary I make. If this citizen is not satisfied with what we are offering he can quit. We had 40,000 people sign-up to take the firefighters test and he can be easily replaced"

If that question were asked today, what would he say now? He still thinks of people as disposable.

Stay safe, don't Shorty dispose of you.

10/22/2009 07:51:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Understand the point to be made about the accounting.


However, don't start falling in love with the Reader. They ain't your friend.

10/22/2009 08:29:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So.....like how much do we actually have in the REAL budget????? Someone have some numbers????

10/22/2009 08:35:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Understand the point to be made about the accounting.

However, don't start falling in love with the Reader. They ain't your friend.

10/22/2009 08:29:00 PM


Like any newspaper, you won't like everything in them. If you like only newspapers that you agree with all of the time you need to find a new source of news. A friend tells you that you are full of shit if occasionally you are in fact full of shit sometimes.

10/22/2009 09:35:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Vote this motherfucker out already. If he wins another election, everybody is getting exactly what they deserve.

10/22/2009 10:36:00 AM


If daley is not re-elected, his hand-picked replacement will be. Very slim chance that anyone good would even consider entering the democratic primary. Then, if daley raises one of his thick eyebrows, the usual boys will pull their usual dirty election tricks and the good sucker of a candidate will learn the hard way not to get into an election fight with daley.

The republicans you might say? hah! Fat chance. They can run shills in the republican primary also. Independent? Forget it.

The only independent who might have a chance here is someone like Michael Bloomberg, an independently wealthy billionaire who can finance his own election for the public good.

And who do we have like that around here? See what I mean. It is the daley way or the highway.

10/22/2009 09:42:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1st point that I should let go, if Daley put Obama in office then we are truly fucked because that is some of the most stupid unproductive comments that I have heard. SCC, I beg of you to continue this thread everyday and I implore those with more sense than the one previously refferenced that we focus our attention collectively to expose the mismangement and all out theft that is occuring. We cannot depend or wait on an arbitrator or the FOP to speak for us. We have alderman talking about us and fireman taking paycuts. Our lives and our childrens lives depend on us taking a stand and speaking out collectively to show that the bastard on the 5th flr can no longer spend our money as he wishes. Those of you who attack the poor or working poor dn not understand that you as a working individual with opportunity to increase your income could not possibly understand someone who goes to work everyday making 30 to 40 thousand and cannot provide due to the constant thievery that is occuring. The war against the working class has begun and we are losing bad.

10/22/2009 09:54:00 PM  
Anonymous The Box Chevy Phantom said...

yeah... king shorty keeps crying poormouth and the daley inc. media spin machine keeps putting police in a bad light (to wit: the frugoli benefit dust-up).

we wouldn't be surprised if marky d. was told by 42 extra-short to do this in order to keep the police in a negative light. it makes it easier for us to be shit on and the public will approve seeing as how we'll all be tarred as "enablers" for the drunks and crimminals in our ranks.

we spied a comment about frugoli owning a luxury suv stating in essence 'how dare the over-paid police own a luxury suv and so many people are losing their jobs'.
this is coupled with some of the alder-gumps rotating their toothless gums about pay cuts for Police & Fire yet the won't say shit about the 2nd set of books being kept by the city even though they have a mouth full of it. Yet these whores don't mind having been punked in their funky donuts and played against each other by shortshanks for the last 20 years...

as long as they get a few crumbs from the "other" budget and get their 6% raises plus discretionary spending money, they're more than happy to go along with this rank shit.

no wonder these fools declared open season on coppers... they're mad because the majority of us refuse to whore ourselves and it drives them crazy and makes them afraid so they do all they can to spin bullshit into fact and poison public sentiment agsainst us.

the public bears responsibility for this mess too... this shit is so cyclical and so typical. whenever times get hard it's easy for the sheeple to turn on the Police... "over-paid, cushy pensions, early retirements, need paycuts, lazy and corrupt" ...ad nauseam et ad infinitum!

these same people who are talking shit now were talking shit when times were good and 401k's were fat 5 to 10 years ago. "dumb coppers, we make more in a week than you make in a month, blue collar welfare job for high school drop-outs, go home and beat your wife & kids already..."

times are tough and now EVERYFUCKIN' BODY is an expert in how the Police should be doing their jobs.

oh well... now they've gotten the Police they've dreamed of, the shit is overflowing and the smartest superintendent & exempt members ever in the history of the Department have no way of fixing this shit other than trying to fuck-over & or bullshit the blue-shirts into submission.

it's a perfect storm and shorty is laughing his bloated, decayed ass off... he's actively destroying the Police Department after making sure we've been marginalized and dehumanized in the eyes of the public...

classic warfare & propaganda machinations at work here. it's easier to destroy an enemy without conscience once you strip them of any semblance of humanity. no one will heed our justifiable outrage and that's how daley want's it but he's angry because we STILL DARE TO FIGHT HIM! no matter how badly the media, fop, pension board and exempt echelon has been corrupted and compromised by shortshanks, GOOD GOD THE POLICEMAN STILL RESISTS!!

10/22/2009 10:03:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Has anyone taken a look at the legal notices for a TIF? It looks like a description for real estate right down to so many feet in an alley or middle of a street. Highly detailed, very long and boring. But if you've got the time and a good magnifying glass, you're good to go.

TIFs for ANY area in the city should be done by referenda voted on by the people. That means they would be voted on during primaries and general elections every few years. WE the people would then have a say. As it stands, the idiot50 vote on it and it gets pulled out from under our feet and pockets for whatever Da mayor wants. He has to pay businesses to come and or stay in this town while workers get laid off or chow down on reduced pay.

10/22/2009 10:21:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MEANWHILE, PATRICK DALEY SITS IN A TEAROOM IN MOSCOW KNOCKING DOWN STOLIS W/HIS MAROON BERET COCKED TO ONE SIDE TELLING WARSTORIES TO HIS FUTURE RUSSIAN BRIDES!!

10/22/2009 10:43:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Da Mayor Duh- aley.

10/22/2009 11:34:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Has anyone taken a look at the legal notices for a TIF? It looks like a description for real estate right down to so many feet in an alley or middle of a street. Highly detailed, very long and boring. But if you've got the time and a good magnifying glass, you're good to go.

TIFs for ANY area in the city should be done by referenda voted on by the people. That means they would be voted on during primaries and general elections every few years. WE the people would then have a say. As it stands, the idiot50 vote on it and it gets pulled out from under our feet and pockets for whatever Da mayor wants. He has to pay businesses to come and or stay in this town while workers get laid off or chow down on reduced pay.

10/22/2009 10:21:00 PM


When Dillinger did it they called it a crime and gunned him down in an alley.

When Daley does it they call it a TIF and keep re-electing him.

One guy is hated and reviled and the other has movies made about him and is part of the popular folklore. Hmmmm, something wrong with this picture.

10/23/2009 05:18:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The daley lead revenge for not supporting his 2016 Olympic bid has begun with the cancellation of Venetian Night. The boaters opposed the king's Olumpic dream. Now they pay by losing Venetian Night.

Who is next on daley's hit list? Who is next to feel the wrath of daley revenge for daring to oppose the 2016 Olympics? Keep an eye open, it is just starting.

Remember the FOP march on City Hall on the same day that the IOC came to town? You can damn well believe that daley remembers. Be prepared. daley will take a great big shit on police for this embarrassment, it is coming. Be careful out there in more ways than one.

The short of shank is also the enemy and more dangerous and treacherous than any stick up guy.

10/23/2009 05:26:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nobody cares! The news media will not touch topics like this without proof! None of the 50 thieves will rat Daley out because they live like Kings! We are just worker ants keeping them all feed annually! Resist and you will vanish!

10/23/2009 11:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Except for John Kass & Tim Novak, the Chicago news dailies just seem to regurgitate press releases from City Hall and Daley's cronies.

If the dailies hired more reporters like Ben Joravsky, their readership would increase.

10/23/2009 11:18:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OT but...You are missing the point! The city, with the blessing from FOP want to stop you from saving the 6&4 BFD and PD days and cashing them in! Big expense to the city so with less weekends in the new plan you will most likely burn those days to get some weekends off! Genius!

10/23/2009 01:06:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really? So exactly WHO is gonna make sure someone other than US find out about this shit?

The reader likely has a readership of what, couple hundred?

No one will find out about this unless the TV media focuses on it.

10/22/2009 06:26:00 AM

Turn off your TV and pick up a copy. Their circulation is more like 400,000. Aside from a Police Hater article or two, they do some really in-depth political investigative work.

10/23/2009 11:10:00 PM  

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