$11 Million Too Late

Thank goodness they caught this before it cost the taxpayers some real money!

• A Northwest Side body shop could be banned permanently from doing business with the city after the Chicago Sun-Times revealed it had been paid more than $11 million for work on police cars and other city vehicles -- even after its owner pleaded guilty to ripping off the city.

• City officials have said repeatedly they were unaware of Szybkowski's conviction until the Sun-Times told them about it late last week. The Fleet Management Department, which oversaw the contract with Central Auto Body, stopped sending it city vehicles last week.

With everyone in Daley's administration, including Shortshanks himself, knowing nothing about anything all the time, it's amazing he kept control as long as he has.

What hold does Shortshanks have over everyone working for him? He isn't charismatic. He's obviously unstable. His people skills leave much to be desired. The staff turnover would embarrass everyone involved if it happened in a publicly held company. But he continues to captain a sinking ship, handing out increasingly stale pieces of a shrinking pie, and there's no shortage of fools willing to see what the underside of Daley's bus looks like as it runs them over. And no one, we mean no one, has ever dropped a dime.