The Chainlink

Chainlinkers for Chuy - donate your time!

Hey friends on wheels,

I'm a part of a volunteer cultural committee putting on a big concert and rally for Chuy Garcia next Sunday, March 29, at Alhambra Palace downtown Chicago. I am still in need of a few additional volunteers:


Setup

Cleanup

Poster and postcard distribution this week

One more SECURITY volunteer (experience and formidable presence helpful)

Please email me at poptart@gmail.com if you are interested in supporting this candidate and this event next week. It's going to be incredibly diverse, energizing, and fun!

Thanks!

 

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Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on April 2, 2015 at 11:21pm
Okay. But not Phil Ponce. His sons, Anthony and Dan are okay.
Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on April 1, 2015 at 11:19pm
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Why-the-real-lose-of-last...

Phil Ponce, come on ! We all know you're a better journalist than that ! Come on, Phil !
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on April 2, 2015 at 12:34am
Phil Ponce didn't defeat Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. An absence of any substantive plan for dealing with pension and general fund deficits, and a formulaic reliance on "setting up commitees" and "studying problems" did. The fiscal crisis in Chicago is real. Chuy has been running for the office of Mayor of the City of Chicago since October, 2014. Last night, he came off as someone fighting out of his weight class. The April 7th election is unlikely to be close.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 2, 2015 at 7:14am

Agreed. The absence of substance on financial issues this late in the game is disturbing to say the least. I wish that Tuesday's debate had been longer and covered more topics.

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on April 2, 2015 at 12:48pm
Kevin C & Annie Alt,
The fiscal crisis in Chicago is very real and created by the mayors Chicago has had since the 1990's. Right now there is a secrecy veil on this city's finances and revenues. There is not a proper independent audit of the city's finances. The city may be 'cooking' its books.

The mayor likes to raise revenues and taxes on the backs of the struggling poor in this city. Rahm will bring property tax bad news if he is reelected. He cowardly tried to pass the largest property tax increase through the state legislature and not the Chicago city council but was stopped by our then courageous governor, Pat Quinn.

Lots of tax dollars go to the downtown area. Clouted building owners downtown don't even pay their fair share. In New York city, downtown skyscrapers and buildings pay way more in property taxes than in this city. Chicago needs to end the 'pay to play' politics. The rich and powerful shut out the struggling tax paying little people of this city.

You don't re-elect incompetence. You elect someone who puts Chicagoans first. That's the kind of leadership our city needs now !
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on April 2, 2015 at 2:28pm

In my experience, conspiracy theorists are almost always wrong. The reason being that conspiracies rarely work, and if they do, they don't work for very long. The more people involved in the conspiracy, the greater the chance for someone to talk-and somebody eventually talks.

In order to buy into this "City finances veil of secrecy" talking point/theory, you have to believe that the mayor, each and every employee of the City Finance Department, and auditor Deloitte & Touche LLP are all willing to trust each other to keep their mouths shut or risk criminal prosecution and civil liability.

The City of Chicago is required to file an audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Report within six months of year end. The most recent available report is for 2013. They are also required to provide bond ratings agencies, underwriters and investors with detailed financial statements because as we all know Chicago has issued municipal bonds in the United States bond markets. Providing false information or omitting material information exposes the actors to civil and criminal liability.

So can we just agree that this "veil of secrecy" thing is political rhetoric which had limited traction or "stickiness" and move on from there?    

Permalink Reply by Rich S on April 2, 2015 at 2:41pm

You mean to actually say proponents of conspiracy theories realize they're probably incorrect when presented with evidence or logic and then change their minds??? 

I thought it was funny how during the debate a few nights ago Rahm got fed up with that attack and eventually asked Chuy if he was going to the state's attorney office with his evidence since those were some pretty serious allegations. Chuy doubled down on the city never gets audited. Doh! I want to want to vote for the guy but he keeps opening his mouth and saying things. 

Permalink Reply by Jeremy on April 2, 2015 at 4:17pm

It was recently disclosed that the city is owed $1.5 billion in unpaid parking/speeding tickets.  The mayor's office issued a statement that 70% of those fines are from before Rahm was elected and stretches back as far as 20 years.

So why hasn't the city written that off as uncollectible? Probably because every year that gets added to the budget as income that will be collected.  That is why Rahm always talks about "balancing the budget" and not about ending the year with net income.  Projections are made even if the results are unattainable.

I don't think the city keeps two sets of books, but there certainly are manipulations that happen, like not providing housing vouchers even though CHA is taking money from the federal government to do so.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140730/NEWS12/140739986/ch...

As far as "conspiracy theorists", that would have been a good label to use regarding people who claimed banks were colluding to fix the LIBOR rate.  That turned out to be true.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on April 2, 2015 at 5:38pm

Some percentage of those are bogus. A few years ago (under Daley) I started getting letters from a law firm threatening action if I don't pay 3 outstanding tickets.

All 3 were from 1999 or so, and I remember each one (I was not the type of person to just let tickets slide.)  Two I paid, and one I successfully contested.

It would be a project for the better part of a day to dig through old records and try to find proof to fax in....

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on April 2, 2015 at 4:31pm
http://es.chicagoforchuy.com/news/closing-debate-exposes-emanuel-s-...

Oh, I guess that this is just a "move along nothing to see here", type of thing. But that has been the culture in Chicago politics. Secrecy and financially "kicking the can down the road".
There is a problem with the lack of transparency in the city's finances. Manipulations do happen.
Permalink Reply by Asper K on April 2, 2015 at 8:47pm

$100 to meet Chuy at the Unity in the Community rally.  What a deal.  Is there a correlation between men with mustaches and bad leaders.   I'd like to see the venn diagram on that

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on April 2, 2015 at 8:50pm

Pay to Say (hello)

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