Chicagoist: More Trouble From the Feds

Harry Calihan

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:49:40 -0600

How can you know what is going on with the people and not know what your own Dad is doing? Spare me already from all the, " he is a great guy" thats what Jeffrey Dalmer neighbors said. Another "Black eye" for Chicago politics This is not right VS: Left this is Right VS: Wrong. Im up to here with the open border and marchs in Chicago! Illegals are Illegal the end.

bob

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 18:34:04 -0600

About Manny Flores: He's a nice enough fellow. There seems to be this aspect about him that anything he says, whether it is well thought out or just something that he says "on the fly" is immediately seen as some gem of wisdom or inspired thought. I think that this only works in person, however. In the 2003 election, he was constantly asked in television interviews if he was an Independent, and he consistently answered in a defensive manner that he was a Democrat, not quite grasping the context in which the term Independent was being used. And though I was supportive of Flores in 2003 and wanted him to win, I would yell at the television set. I thought that no one in his team gave him the book "Boss" or told him to read a book about Harold Washington's campaign like "Fire on the Prairie" or "Divided Chicago"? In the past several years, he seems to have become a player and the term Independent may be something that he will use to position him on the left and appeal to educated, white, and middle of the road voter who like openness and good government. He is already saying that environmental and energy-related issues will be key themes he will focus on in his campaign (see the EXTRA Bilingual Newspaper, May 24, 2007). While these are not Latino or white issues, these are issues that, for the most part, concern educated and white voters. He knows that the term is like "product packaging" and whether he is a supposed "true" Independent or not, using the term will win him votes.

triplecynic

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:40:15 -0600

Wow, ross, what a rebuttal!

ross

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:04:19 -0600

bob = Kevin

bob

Thu, 31 May 2007 16:14:26 -0600

His mother and father had a split, causing his father to set up his own photo studio. Ald. Munoz said that his parents divorced about 16 years ago in the Sun-Times. I was at the election eve party at a restaurant on Kedzie. I saw that Ald. Munoz' mother and the other family members who helped out in his campaign were there. His dad was not at the party. If Ald. Munoz stated something about his father's business after the raid, it would be rational to understand his statement as reflecting what his father told him, not Ald. Munoz's perception of his father's business. After Channel 2's expose, one may guess that Ald. Munoz told his father something about his business and his business model. But even if he unloaded on his dad last year about his dad's association with the ID sellers, who is the business' owner? Mr. Munoz or Ald. Munoz? Let me put it bluntly. Ald. Munoz's father screwed up. Big time. Seriously. He served his own interests in looking out for number one and dealing with the group of ID sellers. But to say that because Ald. Munoz is an alderman and his father deals with shady people doing illegal activities that somehow the actions of the alderman and his father are related is crazy. That said, after his dad was charged, Ald. Munoz seems to have felt a stronger duty to his family. I would guess that everyone has felt that sense of duty when a relative you don't like alot is seriously ill and everyone in the family visits the relative in the hospital or at their house. You don't want something bad to happen to that family member and want to see that person get better. I can understand that way of thinking and the only manner that I can explain Ald. Munoz's remarks about his dad on Wednesday was that it was a part of his familial responsibilities. Does anyone in the white community know how the "Mexican mafia" operates, who are its members, and how they communicate with elected officials? One would think that Elias Munoz is a person who is on the bottom rung of a criminal enterprise. (Mr. Munoz was both being used and he benefited by the activities of the document sellers.) The people on the top are not the "Mexican mafia". Successful criminal organizations operate in the shadows and carry out their operations without causing many problems. But we all love the image of the boasting and macho mob boss offing people and controlling public officials. I'd rent The Godfather, Parts 1 and 2. Also, how is one's being a gang member in the past related to one's present day self? If you see Ald. Walter Burnett do you see an armed robber or an alderman who represents his community effectively? I see Ald. Burnett and Ald. Munoz in the same light, professional, hardworking public servants, one [Burnett] having served time. Regarding Ald. Munoz hating Mayor Daley: this is not true. Daley is a mayor. Daley has a style of governance that some have termed as autocratic or undemocratic. If someone disagrees with Daley, that is what it is--a disagreement. Usually people who disagree with Daley want more of a say for organizations or individuals or want to allow for a different policy (such as higher wages). These are issues that people such as Mayor Daley and various aldermen can approach respectfully and not with emotions like hate. But the facts are the facts: Professor Dick Simpson's research at UIC tracks Chicago aldermanic voting records for all fifty aldermen. Ald. Daniel ("Danny") Solis has an "Agree with Mayor" of 88%, and Ald. Ricardo Munoz has an "Agree with Mayor" of 75%. Former Ald. Dorothy Tillman, a Daley ally, had an "Agree with Mayor" of 63%. So according to the facts, Ald. Munoz voted for Mayor Daley's issues more than former Ald. Tillman. So did Ald. Tillman hate Daley as well? [All data was from recent Simpson report.] My point of view is that the ID selling was an embarrassment. The operation was an "open secret" and the fact that it continued after last year's report demonstrates the lack of intelligence and regard for what one considers is appropriate or inappropriate in the operation. When a local television venue reports on your activities, you need to stop engaging in those activities. I don't know if this impacts Munoz's candidacy. I think that over the next week Munoz needs to evaluate his image and see how he responded to his dad's situation, and whether any negative perceptions are permanent or if they are malleable.

ross

Thu, 31 May 2007 10:08:48 -0600

You know they are connected the Alderman and his father. The day of the raid the Alderman was outraged. Now today in Sun Times he says he only speaks to his father Once or Twice a year and has been estranged from him since his parents divorced at 16. What bunch of BS. They are both crooks. It's funny in all the corruption Kevin talks about Daley being a part of or controlling they have never come this close to Daley himself as they have the Munoz gangsters. And by god if they did I would say Daley should go to jail to. I bet his dad gave to his campaign.

woodlawnchuck

Thu, 31 May 2007 07:16:31 -0600

I don't know how Munoz can even look himself in the mirror. I understand ethnic pride and wanting to do good by your people, but when the law is broken, there isn't much you can say. I realize he didn't break the law - it was his father - but come on Chicagoist sympathizers...If CBS2 or Fox or whoever sent in a crew last year and caught something in that store, it means they knew about it. If they knew something about an operation on 26th Street, it means word had been traveling pretty well throughout Chicago. It also means that they would have put his feet to the flame and called him on it from the get go. He knew exactly what was going on, and like his father, he may not be the one breaking the law, but he is an accessory to what's going on. It seems as though 40% of the Mexican population is really fucking up things for that 20% who don't feel a sense of entitlement like the woman holed up in the church Humboldt Park who created a cottage industry out of identity theft. Don't ask me about the other 40% - if they aren't on paper, they aren't here. They stay in the basement, near the boiler room. You won't hear about them until the house burns down or the planned march in May of 2008.

Patrick McDonough

Wed, 30 May 2007 22:43:39 -0600

We had this story two months ago. Munoz was the champion of the phony Whistle-blower ordinance also. These guys are all very sad with double lives. Munoz is also overseer the "Minority" "Disadvantaged" Contractors just down the street from his campaign office. Dad and son both belong in the pen.

Eric

Wed, 30 May 2007 17:28:09 -0600

It's common knowledge that he's a Latin King & his family's biz helps support the gang in more ways than one.

Joe

Wed, 30 May 2007 14:24:41 -0600

Muñoz stated after the April 25 raid that there was no illegal activity at his father's shop. If he knows his father's shop well enough to make this statement he should know it well enough to be familiar with fake IDs produced there. This is akin to Daley cultivating an image of a hands-on manager but claiming no knowledge of corruption perpetrated for his benefit by top aides. I've been impressed with Muñoz until now. This story needs time to unfold but it does not look good for him.

WTF

Wed, 30 May 2007 13:04:35 -0600

How is Ricardo responsible for his dad's shady business dealings? Muñoz the elder has a bad rep in the neighborhood, and everyone knows that he deals with the "miqueros" *as they are called in Spanish*, but no one has ever accused Ricardo of having anything to do with it. The dad simply doesn't care about the damage he does to his family's reputation. This is why the Muñozes divorced years ago. Ricardo's mom started her own studio, but this one burned down a year or so ago. Oh, and the elder Muñoz's business is in the 12th ward, not in the 22nd ward. Same 'hood, but technically not in Ricardo's jurisdiction.

still-amazed

Wed, 30 May 2007 13:00:58 -0600

"Please don't try and paint this as if I'm giving a pass to other crooks in town while slamming Daley." I don't have to try to paint anything, Kevin. You are giving Munoz a pass, because you like his politics. Why deny the obvious? That's the way things are done in this town. You also found a way to say nice things about about another crook, Medrano, when he was running against Solis. Are you going to deny that? The point here is not to beat you up, but to remind you that the look-the-other-way, make-excuses attitude, is exactly how we got Daley in the first place, and why he is mayor for life. You need to offer an alternative to corruption, not corruption sugar-coated with progressive rhetoric. Like most people in this town, I prefer my corruption straight up, no chaser, thank you.

Spook

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:15:48 -0600

"just like Ambrosio Medrano (of silver shovel fame), who Kevin also spoke highly of for the same reason." Please please please Say it aint so Joe- Kevin! Not after the way you go after Stroger!

ross

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:10:13 -0600

You are so Chicago as long as you benefit and you like the person's political views it is ok but damned the people that disagree with you. You are laughable!

Spook

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:03:51 -0600

Interesting that you included Tillman, (yea you're right,) but think Munoz is not? A growing base of illegal immigrants (I.I.) “does” ALOT to keep folks in office, especially in a ward They support businesses that provide campaign donations. And remember often times their lives are confined strictly to that community- fear of being arrested- so that’s a lot of accumulated dollars. I mean Ricardo’s father’s business isn’t the only business in that community that is used by I.I’s. I.I also provide all sorts other “services” like being a source of school funding which helps build an alderman’s base via jobs and contracts. Actually its rarely about voting, but keeping voting low, while promoting congestion and of course the fact that I.I are “powerless” means that they are all the more easier to take advantage of. And yes I know he isn’t the worst, but I think liberals and progressives need to get our own house in order first, which means starting not to accept the comfortable status qou. But heck, I have a lot more respect for Helen Shiller even thought she has cut her deal with Darth Daley. Now perhaps you know Ricardo better than I. So I want push the envelope any further and he is far better than ahhum, keep forgetting, who is the Cook County again? Coward Orr or is it David Bore??? I

Kevin

Wed, 30 May 2007 11:54:51 -0600

ross: I think it's unfortunate that a generally decent alderman's father is caught up in this. And yeah, Munoz should have said something to his father. Regardless of where your sympathies lie, falsifiing documents is still a crime, and a fairly serious one at that. It's hard to defend. Please don't try and paint this as if I'm giving a pass to other crooks in town while slamming Daley. I really hate the way that Daley supporters present criticism of the mayor as a black and white issue. If I dislike Daley, or criticize him, I therefore hate Chicago? When did the Daley administration (and it's apologists) take a page from Karl Rove? Why can't I love Chicago and still criticize the mayor?

never-ceased-to-be-amazed

Wed, 30 May 2007 11:48:36 -0600

Of course Kevin likes Munoz! Munoz hates Daley, opposes gentrification, and gives lip service to good government. That makes him a good guy, just like Ambrosio Medrano (of silver shovel fame), who Kevin also spoke highly of for the same reason. But for those not living in a morally ambiguous universe, this is organized crime, plain and simple. Alderman Munoz is now undeniably connected through his father to the Mexican mafia, which means he's THEIR guy in Little Village. What a lying hypocritical bastard! And now that we know what a talented looker-the-other-way he is, we have to wonder what else he is looking the other way for. Murder? Drugs? Gambling? Extortion? For those of you who have never lived in a Cicero or a Little Village, organized crime is the absolute worst form of corruption. It inevitably involves corrupting the police and politicians because gangsters have to be ale to kill with impunity in order to effectively ply their trade. The patronage abuses of career politicians are victimless crimes in comparison. So the next time Kevin is wailing and ranting about how dumb Chicagoans for "ignoring" corruption, I would suggest he look in the mirror. The fact that he is merely "disappointed" tells me he is a true Chicagoan at heart, always willing to look the other way.

ross

Wed, 30 May 2007 11:40:39 -0600

So basically Kevin since you like Munoz it's ok he is tied to corruption but all of us that like Daley are complete idiots and wrong because we like Daley and Daley is tied to some corruption around him?

Kevin

Wed, 30 May 2007 11:10:11 -0600

ross: We like Munoz here at Chicagoist - we think he does a good job representing his community, and serves Little Village honestly and well. spook: I don't think that Munoz is a "poverty pimping politician", like, say Tillman, the Beavers or Stroger clan are/were. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I don't understand how a growing base of illegal immigrants helps an elected official hold on to power. Last time I checked, they couldn't vote, not even in Chicago. I think the guy does an excellent job given a set of very defficult challenges in a complex ward.

Spook

Wed, 30 May 2007 10:36:00 -0600

Clearly too many politicians tethered by leash to the Gooo Gooo IVI-IPO types are really no different than the democratic ward bosses who at least are honest about their Machines. Ricardo has become just another arrogant Ward Boss and I’m sure like any of the other poverty pimping alderman, growing a base of ignorant poor people(in this case illegal’s), helps him stay on his royal aldermanic throne. Ricardo is a sad replacement for Chewy Garcia who should have been the first Hispanic mayor instead of having his political dignitas snatched and placed on the mantle of Darth Daley and his HDO This of course clears the way for Manny Flores to be the only independent in the Congressional race. Yea yea yea a Spook has been criticized for unspookly behavior for liking him, but again at least you know what you’re getting and he doesn’t put on that all too common kingly city council air as oppose to being a humble public servant, which goes a lot further in a Spook’s hand book on all that is revolutionary and then some

ross

Wed, 30 May 2007 09:45:07 -0600

Kevin you like Alderman Munoz? I think he should resign. Did you see him on TV saying the Feds used too much force. Let's face his father knew and he knew what was going on.