“ALL OF US HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS ON THE PAYROLL” In March 2006, Jacqueline King was named Commissioner of Human resources for the City of Chicago; she replaced Glenn Carr. King left in 2008, after a scathing report by federal hiring monitor Noelle Brennan that accused the city of regressing in its efforts of fair hiring practices. Homero Tristan was named to replace her. On July 7th of this year, Tristan resigned after then inspector general David Hoffman accused him of lying during an investigation of hiring abuses. Tristan vehemently denied that he tried to cover himself by lying to investigators when asked why he had failed to report an alderman for attempting to clout a Health Department employee out of a job transfer that would have taken the employee far from home. To replace him, Managing Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Human Resources (DHR), Karina Ayala-Bermejo was appointed Acting Commissioner. This week a new permanent Commissioner will be named. So in a three year period, the City will have had five different HR Commissioners.

Recently Mayor Daley announced that illegal hiring patronage in Chicago is dead and that the city is in "substantial compliance" with the federal decree on hiring practices. He is going to ask the court to life the decree and dismiss the federal monitor.

Alderman Isaac Carothers (D-29) has a different on spin with his recent statement, "All of us have family members on the payroll. That's nothing new." So who do we believe? Mayor Daley or Alderman Carothers? Carothers assertion reminds me of statement by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger on April 20th when he said, “I am sure employees get arrested all the time.” (See blog April 21st) So Cook County hires felons and the City hires relatives. What chance does a law abiding citizen not related to anybody have of getting a job in this town?

Since Carothers is already facing federal bribery charges stemming from his arrest in May and was cooperating with the Feds by having worn a wire, I tend to believe him more than Mayor Daley. He has nothing to lose now by telling the truth. But he still won’t respond to the question whether the William Carothers on his aldermanic payroll is his father, his brother or some other relative.

A Chicago Tribune editorial on Monday, November 23rd, revealed “dozens of questionable employees -- relatives, campaign workers, friends and friends of friends -- who were being paid out of a $1.3 million fund designated for miscellaneous office duties. The guidelines are conveniently vague: The money can be used to hire people for "secretarial, clerical, stenographic, research or other functions related to the office of aldermen."

The Tribune also reported,” Ald. George Cardenas, 12th, pays his dad $13 an hour for 180 hours of work each month. Ald. Virginia Rugai, 19th, paid Democratic Committeeman Matthew J. O'Shea more than $43,000 over 18 months. Ald. John Pope, 10th, hired a former Streets and Sanitation worker ousted over a sexual harassment complaint who is on a list of ex-employees who aren't supposed to be rehired. Pope also hired the mother of Al Sanchez, the Streets and Sanitation commissioner convicted of rigging city hiring to favor campaign workers.”

So we have a Mayor whose head is so buried in the sand that he can stand in front of the media and declare that the city is patronage free and seems to truly believe what he says. He is like an ostrich that believes that it is hiding from whatever dangers are about him while the biggest part of his body is still sticking out in plain sight. With one’s head in the sand you can not hear or see what is happening around you, so in your mind it really isn't happening at all. I wish I could live a life in such a stupor of oblivion. Maybe I really was a former supermodel!