CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Morning shorts

Re: Morning shorts

Snidely Whiplash — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:01:02 -0000

Well, now that the appellate court has affirmed the $4,000,000 judgment against her company and called the Gormans some not-too-flattering names, she has other problems to worry about. She has more baggage than Samsonite, and no chance at all of being reelected chairman ... and she knows it.

Buh-bye, Chairman Combine

Re: Morning shorts

steve schnorf — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:17:34 -0000

Well, most of the concerns I heard expressed on Rutan covered patronage involved either DoT or DoC, and those were certainly jobs important to county chairman.

Re: Morning shorts

id — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:03:09 -0000

More than a quarter of a century in state government personnel office in lower level position.

Re: Morning shorts

steve schnorf — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:40:54 -0000

id,

I'll simply say I did it, year in and year out, for many years, and I know what I saw. For example, my last 4 years in state government, nobody even suggested to me anyone to hire, much less ordered me, and I had almost all Rutan exempt jobs. Nobody even suggested to me who to give a contract to.

In my more than 25 years in state government, I could probably count on my fingers the number of times someone tried to order me to hire someone, Rutan exempt or not. I don't recall ever having a problem getting a qualified individual hired.

What is your experience basis for your insightful comments?

Re: Morning shorts

i d — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:50:50 -0000

Mr. Schnorf, sorry that your memory and/or ethics are waning. I think that what you really meant to say was that politics in hiring mostly is true, rarely it's not.

Re: Morning shorts

Northside Bunker — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:49:38 -0000

To bad no one has the onions to get a list of all the State of Illinois jobs and salaries Blagojevich and his cronies have created since 2002.
Bet that list is a mile long.

Re: Morning shorts

Ghost — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:30:51 -0000

Steve most DoC hiring does not go through CMS, but it all goes through the Gov. They have to have a from signed by the gov authorizing the hiring/filing of the spot.

Re: Morning shorts

Clean as a Whistle...? — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:46:24 -0000

Ghost: Thanks for the update--that's wahat i thought.

Let's segueway: In state government, is there ever, ever really a job freeze?" Come on.

The "job freeze" only applies to the people they wish to "freeze" out of jobs. Not to the sons and daughters of campaign contributors, lobbyists and other insiders.

Re: Morning shorts

steve schnorf — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:40:39 -0000

Ghost, that's a big change, then. When I was with the state most DoC hiring didn't go thru CMS.

Re: Morning shorts

kimsch — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:39:28 -0000

My condolences to the Quinn family.

Re: Morning shorts

Ghost — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:32:36 -0000

Steve DOC is NOT authorized to do its own hiring per se. The Governor put in a job freeze, ALL hiring must now go through his office and be approved by the Gov. So technically today you cant hire anyone without the approval of the Gov. The the Gov has a patronage chief who vest names to DOC for hiring. The idea that the current gov, who controls all hiring in the executive branch, may be playing patronage has a lot of leggs.

Re: Morning shorts

anonno — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:17:09 -0000

Hey--they said they were instituting the online-jobs site to make the process "transparent". Obviously that module is working...it is transparently diverting...just like the masters on LaSalle street.

Now, I don't remember much from the announcement on making it "fair"...that is another module that would require a waiver for a sole source contract to add that function in through an undetermined R&D cost plus fixed-fee amendment to the IT contract.

Now I'm not saying that the whole thing is just smoke and mirrors... but (lets see if I can get the tone right) "sometimes its true and often its not".

Re: Morning shorts

steve schnorf — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:13:26 -0000

Personal patronage wasn't affected by Rutan.

Re: Morning shorts

Clean as a Whistle...? — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:05:40 -0000

Leave a Light On George (and all other posters):

This is the point about the online job postings I made last week.

Mr. Schnorf: It's true a lot. Maybe Corrections does most of its own hiring; but wardens and executive staff come straight out of the Governor's office--their hiring decisions are naturally influenced by this.

And so do such wonderful decisions like eliminating the rank of Captain.

Which DOC continues to pay for.

Thank God for the staff (and all citizens as well) there hasn't been a major riot in the last five years.

Re: Morning shorts

Ghost — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:00:42 -0000

The fascinating part about the political hiring stuff is, if its true, it looks awfully transparent. Your would think that coming on the heals of a pay to play indicted governor you would avoid such conduct, or at least do a better job of hidining it. Where Ryan was crafty and old school patronage, Blago is looking like just plain dumb corruption. He may get hit a lot harder then Ryan.

Re: Morning shorts

Wacker Drive — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:57:19 -0000

Big Tony Rezko has already started to blame others for his misfortunes and his trial hasn't even started yet.
The show begins on March 3rd!

Re: Morning shorts

anonno — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:56:50 -0000

I'm taken aback. Schnorf should work at the Vatican. A vet expert in the job duties doesn't even get interviewed and now he's a disgruntled jobseeker. So, for the opening gambit, the guy's credibility has just been questioned. Next, they're going to interview to his neighbors and creditors.

Shame on the perpetrators and double Shame Shame on the cameralists and apologists.

Re: Morning shorts

jerry 101 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:55:25 -0000

wait...a cook county republican convention? Where did they have that? The corner booth at a Denny's?

Anyway, development/redevelopment always follows public spending on infrastructure. Not that all infrstructure spending plans bear fruit, quite a few don't.

But, rebuilding streets and transit networks, putting in water mains, etc are what lead to new development.

And if you don't think that public investment in mass transit works to spur development, just go take a look at Downtown Arlington Heights or Palatine, or any other suburb that has worked with the ideas of New Urbanism to build living, walkable downtown areas centered on their Metra stations.
Or follow any CTA line. Neighborhood redevelopment follows CTA tracks. Areas far from an el stop tend to be pretty slummy. But areas close to el stops have redeveloped nicely over the years. Look at places like north/damen/milwaukee that were well known dumps 20 years ago. They are top notch yuppy resorts now. Jump up a stop on the blue line (western) and you'll find "west bucktown" (aka Humboldt Park) which is rapidly gentrifying around the station. Move along to California and Logan Square, same story. Easy access to downtown leads to gentrification and redevelopment.

A project like Sox park wouldn't lead to redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood. The surrounding neighborhood is the Dan Ryan and a bunch of parking lots. If they tore up the parking lots and put in place the infrastructure necessary to build a new neighborhood, there is a good chance that life would arrive there. First, a few bars and restaurants, which would lead to people hanging out pre and postgame. Then, people would start moving in. It has the other requirements. IIT to the east, which gives a population of potential early residents (students), close to both a highway and a mass transit station. Well developed middle class neighborhood just to the west (Bridgeport).

OTOH, McCormick Place is a monolithic structure that isn't conducive to generating a new neighborhood. Too many old abandoned factories nearby, no day in-day out activity. Sox Park would have 81 days a year with life going on around the park, and the neighborhood as a result. But with miles of concrete parking lot surrounding sox park, life isn't going to spring up nearby. Although bridgeport itself is gentrifying.

Now, to see how infrastructure improvements led to redevelopment of a community, look at the south loop. Building new roads and putting the transit improvements in place that were needed, plus a huge influx of students in the form of the mega dorm led to that area springing up practically overnight. New condos shooting up, restaurants and bars moving in, new shopping centers.

It works, but it has to be planned. Business isn't going to appear in the middle of nowhere.

Someone planned it, and some community financially backed it.

Re: Morning shorts

steve schnorf — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:49:57 -0000

Unless there have been changes, DoC is authorized to do most of its own hiring. I am taken aback that a disgruntled jobseeker claims politics in hiring. I've heard that for more than 30 years. Sometimes it's true, often it's not.

Re: Morning shorts

Flounder — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:48:47 -0000

The Rules certainly didnâ€™t apply to the Illinois
Tollway. Patrick Fitzgerald and the media should
definitely investigate this state agency. Itâ€™s
absolutely staggering how many plum positions have
been created. Tollway mouthpeices said they reduced staff back
in 2003 and 2004 by 50 as a media smoke screen and
later added 150 and thatâ€™s not including all the
high-priced consultants walking around.
All you have to do is investigate and the MATH!

Commited, Good, Decent, Hardworking State of Illinois
employees lost their respective jobs because of Rod
Blagojevich and his administration's corrupt policies.

Re: Morning shorts

IDTYT — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:46:30 -0000

Blaggodiot has fooled the National Governor's Assoc. They think he is against predators. They forget he gave Ameriquest $25 million and suspended IL credit counseling laws....
...."Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich said: â€œThe crisis in the sub-prime mortgage market has had a devastating impact on homeowners and entire communities across our country. In Illinois alone, it is possible that up to 70,000 homeowners will face foreclosure this year. A real solution will require lenders, consumers, advocates and public policy makers to all work together. Last week in Illinois, we announced a package that will do just that. I am confident that by making good loans and sound advice available to families in Illinois and throughout the country, we can turn the mortgage crisis around and save homeowners from foreclosure.â€

Re: Morning shorts

Leave a light on George — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:24:53 -0000

What happened to the the new apply on line with CMS for any open state job? You were to be nothing but an annon. number until the interview. Remeber it was going to take all political favoritism out of the state job process. Didn't apply I guess in the case of this good paying union job.

Re: Morning shorts

observer — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:15:17 -0000

People are playing politics with state jobs? Oh my. What's next?

Re: Morning shorts

Are you the creator of Hi and — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:15:10 -0000

Sock Puppet Express cites a quote dripping with hilarity. The "court house." When has Liz Gorman ever cared about GOP judicial candidates in Cook County, (besides herself) or GOP candidates in general?

Re: Morning shorts

VanillaMan — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:10:14 -0000

New museums, new convention centers, new hotel complexes, new downtown business developments...why do we still believe in the 'if you build it with tax dollars, prosperity will return" mentality?

Localitites that still believe that governments will pay for their dream cities are not recognizing the new reality. When we had billions to spend on renovated downtowns, mass transit systems, and expressways, we could take hits when we built white elephants. Not anymore.

After decades of white elephants, unattended infrastructure, potholes and rusty mass transit can attest, voters are unwilling to simply shovel money to developers with big dreams. This doesn't mean that there is no money for new developments, it means that developers need to be more focused and do a better selling job.

It takes heavy political hitters to get a new Sox park or a McCormick Place expansion. These are single focus projects that can be sold to voters and evolutionary ones that replace or expand successful business generating organizations. Even Mayor Daley has discovered that "pie in the sky" rebuilds without focus cannot find funding because they haven't been sold to voters, or demanded by them. Politicians don't want to be caught in bed with bad real estate paid with tax dollars.

So, in the case of East Peoria, Kankakee, University Park, and many Chicago neighborhoods, these community leaders hoping for governments to back their dreams need to wake up. There is no extra cash to give to sincere types who wish to pour acres of concrete in order to make something happen to their struggling communities.

Instead of planning multi-million dollar white elephants, private businesses are snatching up opportunities to grow businesses where there is growth. This leaves behind neglected areas that are abandoned not simply because the building assets got old. When you take a cold eye approach to dying towns, you see that bulldozing and spending millions of tax dollars won't revive a community.

We don't have the cash to waste and folks will not sink money into areas just because the concrete is fresh.

That is why there hasn't been any development for East Peoria or Decatur or Rockford.