Hired Trucks Resurfaces in Aldermanic Race

By Kevin Robinson in News on Dec 21, 2010 2:00PM

Mary O'Connor, who is running for alderman in the Northwest side 41st Ward, recently held a fundraiser that was sponsored in part by Michael and Alisa Leyden. Michael Leyden was banned for life from doing business with the City of Chicago after he allegedly paid nearly $60,000 in bribes to the city as part of the Hired Truck scandal. His wife Alisa co-owns American Tank, their trucking company. “It was a mistake,” O’Connor told the Sun-Times. “It was ignorance on my part,’’ she said, adding "I’ll never let it happen again.”

The fundraiser, which was held last month at Moher Public House, netted less than $800. O'Connor says that Michael Leyden hasn't contributed any money to her campaign. Michael Leyden, who was banned, along with his company, from doing business with the city for "committing fraud," cooperated with authorities during the investigation and subsequent trials, and was never charged with any wrongdoing.

According to the Sun-Times, Michael Leyden didn't get much business from Hired Trucks until he started paying bribes to John “Quarters’’ Boyle. Boyle, a clouted city worker, has a long history of corruption in Illinois, including a conviction for theft from the state tollway system, the crime that earned him the nickname "Quarters."