Foodie Rant - Properly Sauced? Try Properly Ripped Off.
Oprah-geddon: Winfrey To Quit Show In 2011
Daley Blames - Who Else? - The Media For Oprah-geddon
NYT Preps For Chicago Edition
Chicago Gets Googled
Inspector General David Hoffman
The 45 page document is the product of 5 months worth of work, and states that if the city had kept the meters and implemented the same rate hikes being proposed by LAZ, the city would have collected $974 million more than what it made in the deal -- something that seems like Aldermen could have worked out in a few minutes with a calculator before they voted. Hoffman says he isn't against the idea of privatization, as long as it's a good deal:
"The bottom line is, there was no outside, independent consideration of whether it was a good idea to do this," Hoffman said Tuesday, arguing that the City Council is "at fault for this as well.""We're not saying they shouldn't have sold the meters. If you're getting a low-ball offer, maybe you still sell because you need the money. But, they didn't even figure out what the comparative number was. . . . They should have chosen those alternatives that would have been better for the city."
Thanks for your input, Dave, but it's a little late, no? To try and prevent a similar debacle going forward, Hoffman recommends a "60-day City Council review period" regarding future leases of city assets, 45 days longer than the currently proposed ordinance mandating a 15 day review on any sale/lease of city assets worth over $100 million -- that ordinance will be voted on tomorrow. Which is all fine and good, but do we even have anything left to sell?
The Reader has posted the full report (PDF). [S-T, Reader]
UPDATE: The city has released a response which you can read here.
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In other news, bears are still hitting in the woods!
Hoffman is trying to save face from the bytch-slapping he and Pat Collins got in Springfield with their work on the Reform Commission.
He is a media whore, shamelessly tricking from tv station to station crying the sky is falling.
Little does he know, his house is made of glass with a big stone soon to be thrown.
Nice distraction there, DMLAWYER--trying to move the discussion from the incompetence of city officials to some ham-handed personal attacks against the messenger. Even if Hoffman were a real whore selling his pale ass on Lake Street on Saturday nights, that doesn't really change the reality that Daley, incompetent as usual when it comes to actual management (as opposed to politics), fucked up this parking deal in a few different ways, screwing citizens.
I am giving you a one-handed clap for trying to play the classic game of distraction, even if you went out of your way to insult my intelligence. That your attempt was so clumsy suggests you are merely an apprentice in these sorts of things. Try harder next time.
Tilde, this would only be a distraction for those who cannot walk and chew gum at the same time, so I hope you are sitting down while reading this.
As for the one handed clap, I would suspect that frees up your other hand for self flagellation, thus putting an end to your version of group sex (memo to Tilda - group sex is not defined by using both of your hands).
Well, instead of addressing the utter incompetence of Daley in regards to this parking deal--at the least, it is plausible the city could have earned more cash from this deal, though only an idiot would give away a steady revenue stream--you lobbed some vague personal attacks at the messenger. You still haven't offered any comment regarding the issue at hand--curious, that.
If I didn't know any better, I would assume you are simply some Daley tool sent here to post. Most assumptions are wrong, of course.
Volpe for the mayor is saying that Hoffman is wrong, but I would like to understand how selling a cash stream lasting 75 years for a one time payment of 1.13 billion makes sense financially. And if you Google LAZ, the bio of the outfit is less than impressive.
No shit, Sherlock.
"It's elementary, my dear Chicagoans."
Public: "No Shit"