To hear Beavers tell it, however, he wouldn't have been indicted at all if he decided to wear a wire. more ›

Cook County Board seemed primed to vote on reforms to correct the growing scandal involving overcrowding at the county morgue yesterday. Then Commissioner John Daley moved to delay the vote by referring it to the Board's Finance Committee, which he, coincidentally, chairs. more ›

Losing a county-wide election by a staggering margin, having one of his cronies arrested on fraud charges, these are the things that should leave a politician wondering how safe he might be in the eyes of both the public and prosecutors. But no, outgoing Cook County President Todd Stroger appears to be hellbent on making sure that people with political connections have a safe paycheck place to work. more ›

With county government facing a $300 million shortfall next year, (soon-to-be-former) county board president Todd Stroger appears poised to propose an across the board 10 percent cut. “The administration is still working hard on the budget,” county spokesman James Ramos told the Tribune, explaining that the county CFO Jaye Williams had no comment on next year's budget. “It is premature to make any statements.” Finance Committee Chair John Daley (who is also the mayor's brother) said that he believes the budget shortfall for the county could be even worse than anticipated next year, and supports the 10 percent cuts. more ›

With Friday's budget deadline looming for Cook County, Todd Stroger is finding himself in a very uncomfortable position. Stroger has been more ›

In quick succession, the Cook County Board shot down a series of tax hikes yesterday, including proposed increases on electricity and natural gas. Five other increases backed by Democrat Roberto Maldanado, including taxes on SUVs, hotel stays, jet fuel and liquor sold in bars, died without support from any commissioners. The 2-14 vote against the electricity and natural gas taxes, proposed by Stroger ally Bill Beavers, signaled the unofficial death of Board President Todd Stroger's... more ›

Chicagoist wasn't the only one reminiscing about Harold Washington this week. With the Cook County Commission deadlocked over the budget, County Commissioner Bill Beavers lashed out at the opposition in a press conference yesterday, saying that if Stroger were white, his budget proposal would pass. “This is a remake of the Harold Washington days with the 29, 21,” Beavers said, adding “it’s basically dealing with who’s going to control the county, white or black.... If... more ›

In Monday's "First Look" review at Hi Tea, the tea shop recently opened at 14 E. 11th St., Chicagoist mistakenly identified Heather Horner as a partner with John Daley and Dino and Tom Bezanes. Ms. Horner is a manager at Hi Tea. The fourth partner in Hi Tea is Andy Pappas. We apologize and regret the error; the original post will reflect these corrections, as well.... more ›

Tea is a hot commodity these days. With almost as many varietals and blends as coffee, better organic farming practices, less acid, and health benefits galore, it’s becoming a welcome alternative to the morning cup o’ joe. John Daley first found this out during two trips to Sri Lanka after college. Later, when he was working in Washington, DC, he sipped tea when his workmates were downing multiple cups of coffee every morning. From those... more ›

What's a Ward Committeeman? more ›

At Wednesday's first meeting of the newly installed Cook County Board, Todd Stroger kept his first promise of the new term — moving to appoint a tougher, more independent inspector general. Under a bill introduced by Commisioners Mike Quigley and John Daley, a new inspector general will soon have broader powers of oversight across all county offices. Assumed to be retired Circuit Judge Julia Nowicki, thanks to an agreement between the county and attorney Michael... more ›

In case you missed it in the papers yesterday, Todd Stroger stood before God and Cook County, vowing "big changes." "We will transform this government into a more modern, more efficient operation," Stroger said."To get there, the transitions will be tough, the sacrifices painful, the dramatic change worth it." In remarks addressed to the rest of the newly installed Cook County Board of Commissioners (which included Bobby Steele's son Robert Steele), the Toddler announced that... more ›

Yesterday, County Board President candidates Todd Stroger (D) and Tony Peraica (R) both promised to cut county jobs. Stroger, the front runner and front man, won’t give any specifics other than saying that the County is top-heavy and could use some consolidation. Oh yes, he uses the favorite political chestnut of auditing the books in order to make a decision. Peraica proposes to make cuts of about 4,000-5,000 jobs through attrition and consolidating the County’s... more ›

It’s been a while since we talked about City Clerk James Laski’s involvement in the Hired Truck scandal. We’re sorry about that, but we were too busy trying to learn keno to write an update. And what a waste of time that turned out to be. So what’s been going on with Laski? Well, he vowed to stay on as City Clerk after being charged with taking bribes from trucking companies and lying to... more ›

Is there a more fun city agency to work in than the Chicago Department of Water Management? First we discover that if you pay a little bribe, you can make a lot of dough in overtime. City worker Richard Pacheco (as opposed to the other Richard Pacheco) said that when he gave cash to his supervisors, he in turn received overtime resulting in an additional $14,000 in pay. The extra cash must have come... more ›

The twelfth Hired Trucker was convicted this week, as Joseph Ignoffo of Ignoffo Trucking plead guilty to mail fraud and detailed how bagmen from the Water Department took bribes and directed political contributions to campaign funds for Cook County Commissioner and Mayoral Brother, John Daley. Ignoffo would make cash payments to Water Department Deputy Commissioner Donald Tomczak and later his underling, Gerald Wesolowski, in return for millions of dollars of city trucking business. Meanwhile, the... more ›

When Mayoral Chief of Staff Ron Huberman announced last Friday the firing of nine Water Department employees, including Comissioner Rick Rice, City Hall watchers began to wonder which department was next -- and how much closer to the mayor the oustings might get. That's what reporters were asking the Mayor yesterday. The firing of a city departmental commissioner is a big deal, even in a mayoral administration that's seen as many changes as Richard M.... more ›

The Hired Truck probe/scandal dug into some new corners of Chicago's give-and-take politics, as John Cannatello, the alleged true owner of Bridgeport-based GNA Trucking, was accused of and indicted in federal court for disguising his business as woman-owned (through his wife's name), while he actually operated the business. Cannatello is the sixteenth person to be indicted in the U.S. Attorney's probe. more ›