Results tagged “streetsandsan”

For once, the City of Chicago failed to find a taker in a bid to privatize a city service and, as a result will be paying overtime to plow drivers this coming winter. We've already heard promises of preparation but this new call came from Mayor Daley himself at a press conference earlier today. Still smarting from last year's attempt to cut costs by skimping on side-street plowing and scaling back on overtime pay, Daley promised the streets would cleared efficiently this coming winter: "You have to do an effective job on the major streets and get to the side streets as fast as possible."

The conviction of former Streets and Sanitation commissioner Al Sanchez is set to be reviewed by a judge today. Defense attorneys have asked for the review claiming prosecutors failed to reveal certain information about Brian Gabriel, one of their witnesses. According to WBEZ:

Former Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez, who was convicted earlier this year on federal corruption charges, is asking for a new trial in light of new developments in the case. Sanchez, who was convicted in March of rigging hiring through his position as a city commissioner and his role in the Hispanic Democratic Organization, has asked the judge for a new trial, citing prosecutors failure to disclose that a key government witness was a high-ranking gang member and drug-trafficker. According to Sanchez's lawyer Thomas Breen, Brian Gabriel, who testified against Sanchez in the corruption trial, was a member of the Spanish Vice Lords. "It is hard to imagine information that is more impeaching of a witness than self-admitted gang membership, even if such membership is in the past," Breen said. "The evidence of gang membership was also no doubt suppressed by the government. The prosecution learned of Gabriel's gang affiliation prior to trial and prior to Gabriel's testimony yet did not disclose it to the defense."

While Laborers Union Local 1001 was one of the city unions that agreed to concessions as part of Mayor Daley's master plan to save the budget, the city did give one concession to Streets and Sanitation workers, without even being asked by the union. With Newly appointed Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Tom Byrne has implemented a disciplinary amnesty. In a department where nearly one third of the workforce is absent. Every day.

In a move to tackle poor supervision and excessive spending, Mayor Daley rearranged his cabinet yesterday, removing Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael Picardi and replacing him with Thomas Byrne, who is currently head of the city's Transportation Department. Picardi, who has been the Streets and San boss since 2005, was criticized after the city inspector general dinged Picardi for lax field supervision, after investigators witnessed garbage crews taking long lunches, drinking beer on the job and urinating in the streets last fall.

Following up on their successful pothole repair project in Louisville, Kentucky, KFC is offering to fix potholes nationwide. KFC president Roger Eaton has sent a letter to the nation's mayors, including Chicago's offering to fix our roads in exchange for free advertising. KFC's promotion involves a private road crew and an actor dressed as the Colonel, fixing potholes and then spraying "Re-Freshed by KFC" on the repair, promoting their claim of using fresh chicken in their dishes. While Chicago prohibits advertising on city streets because they may cause distraction, and therefore a safety hazard, the city hasn't ruled out using the Colonel's services just yet.

The federal corruption trial of former streets and sanitation commissioner and Hispanic Democratic Organization chief Al Sanchez ended yesterday afternoon in his conviction on four counts of mail fraud. His alleged co-conspirator Aaron DelValle (who ran as a stalking horse against 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis in 2007 in what was largely seen as an HDO vendetta against the alderman) was convicted of perjury.

As Al Sanchez's trial on federal corruption charges wound down Wednesday, his lawyers made closing arguments before the jury, painting Sanchez as a community activist, a dedicated public servant, and, most telling, a victim of Mayor Daley's plan to use the city payroll as a reward for political work.

Al Sanchez took the stand in his own defense Tuesday, as the federal corruption trial against him continues. In a move widely expected based on defense attorneys questioning during the prosecution's case, Sanchez blamed much of the patronage hiring on Intergovernmental Affairs Office (IGA). After a week and a half of hearing testimony from current and former city employees who claimed that HDO political workers got first crack at city jobs in Streets and Sanitation, Sanchez testified that he only wanted qualified people to work for him, vehemently dening that he had anything to do with hiring. When Assistant U.S. Attorney Manish Shah asked Sanchez if he was the city's Streets and Sanitation Commissioner, Sanchez replied "I had nothing to do with the hiring." Referring to the IGA, Sanchez said "That's the way it worked."

The prosecution rested its case against Al Sanchez on Monday, after calling patronage workers and Streets and Sanitation insiders to the stand, and former associates from city departments that testified that they helped rig city hiring procedures to steer HDO campaign workers into city jobs.

Excited about Al Sanchez's trial? Longing for the good old days when the city could afford to pay a bunch of HDO ward heelers overtime to actually plow the streets? Got some tax refund money burning a hole in your pocket? Now you can own a collectible piece of Chicago! Thanks to Australian-based Quarry Diecast Models DownUnder, you can order your very own diecast model Chicago Streets and Sanitation truck. And don't forget to get a set of HDO workers to staff your vehicles. No word yet on whether they plan to issue diecast broken kitchen chairs to "dib" your model parking spot.