Merry Christmas Fred!

It's going to be a good Christmas at the Waller house this holiday season:

• A key member of a Chicago police oversight body urged the City Council Wednesday to postpone the search for a permanent replacement for retired Police Supt. Larry Snelling until after the mayoral election.

  As president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, Anthony Driver led the nationwide search that culminated in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s selection of Snelling. Driver stepped down as president to mount what turned out to be a losing race for Congress, but he is still a commission member involved in the search for Snelling’s replacement.

  In a letter to City Council members Wednesday, Driver asked that the Nov. 12 deadline for the commission to complete a nationwide search, interview candidates and present the names of three finalists to Johnson be put off until spring — after Chicagoans choose their next mayor.

The main reason is - of course - that no "qualified" candidates are going to hitch their wagon to an employment offer that might last five or six months depending if Conehead even runs or (god forbid) wins.

Our readers pointed that out over a month ago.

In the meantime, Waller will continue to double-dip with a six-digit salary on top of a six-digit pension while another six-digit salaried First Deputy isn't allowed to fulfill her actual job description of running the Department absent a superintendent.

Thank goodness Chicago doesn't have any money problems!