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mucifer

(23,550 posts) Sat Jul 22, 2017, 10:23 AM Jul 2017

Rahm Emanuel takes money earmarked for the poor and gives it to Navy Pier

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration signed off on an elaborate financial shell game that obscured payment of $55 million for renovations at Navy Pier with tax dollars reserved to fight urban blight, records show.

The bookkeeping jiujitsu appears to violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the controversial tax-increment financing program, which critics say has been widely abused and not used for its intended purpose of spurring development in or near economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

A joint investigation by the Better Government Association and Crain’s Chicago Business finds that the administration began filtering the money in 2014 through a hotel project at McCormick Place, capitalizing on its Near South Side location as a rationale for tapping funds reserved for struggling communities.

http://www.bettergov.org/news/how-city-power-players-diverted-55-million-in-blight-fighting-tif-cash-to-navy-pier

My mayor is so full of crap and he calls himself a democrat.

Chicago is so screwed . We have Rahm as mayor we have right wing filth Rauner as our governor and like everyone else we have trump. At least we scared trump out of visiting here with protests. Too bad we did scare away some of the local politicians, too.

6 replies

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Rahm Emanuel takes money earmarked for the poor and gives it to Navy Pier (Original Post) mucifer Jul 2017 OP

"My mayor is so full of crap and he calls himself a democrat. " DK504 Jul 2017 #1

He has a lot of money and President Obama backed him. However, I think he will lose mucifer Jul 2017 #2

He is fundraising Not Ruth Jul 2017 #5

I hope his poll numbers go back down after this latest story. But, money is so damn influential. mucifer Jul 2017 #6

Not surprised, given his history. InAbLuEsTaTe Jul 2017 #4

He would be at home in the republican party CentralMass Jul 2017 #3

DK504

(3,847 posts)

1. "My mayor is so full of crap and he calls himself a democrat. "

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Sat Jul 22, 2017, 10:30 AM

Jul 2017

How did he get reelected?? Shit like this is why people don't vote democrat anymore. They are as corrupt as the Rethugs. Makes me sick to my stomach.

mucifer

(23,550 posts)

2. He has a lot of money and President Obama backed him. However, I think he will lose

Reply to DK504 (Reply #1)

Sat Jul 22, 2017, 10:33 AM

Jul 2017

the next election. He is very unpopular.

BTW here is a scary little video which helped Rahm early on. I wonder if The President has any regrets:

Not Ruth

(3,613 posts)

5. He is fundraising

Reply to mucifer (Reply #2)

Sat Jul 22, 2017, 10:53 AM

Jul 2017

http://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/emanuel-heading-to-washington-d-c-thursday-for-fundraiser/

He’s been steadily raising money ever since without holding a mega-fundraiser.

In late December, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that two political funds controlled by Emanuel had taken in more than $1.6 million since the start of 2016, with $1 million of that money collected in the final four months of the year.

Chicago for Rahm Emanuel had $1 million in cash on hand as of Dec. 31. The Chicago Committee, Emanuel’s other campaign fund, reported $287,200 in receipts and $270,199 in expenditures in its last quarterly report. That committee ended the year with $88,605 in cash on hand.

On Feb. 28, the mayor reported raising another $54,200, much of it from the Melman family and other principals of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and other Chicago dining destinations.

Ald. Pat O’Connor (40th), the mayor’s City Council floor leader, has said Emanuel’s decision to resume his legendary political fundraising does not mean the mayor has decided to seek a third term.

It simply means that any mayor of Chicago needs campaign cash to push his legislative and political agenda and avoid the appearance of being a lame duck.

Underscoring the point, the Chicago Committee donated $50,000 last fall to Friends of Michael J. Madigan, $50,000 more to the Illinois Democratic Party — chaired by Madigan — and $25,000 to State Comptroller Susana Mendoza.

The mayor himself has told associates he is positioning himself to run for re-election, but plans to make a final decision late this year after consulting with his wife.

Sources said the mayor’s poll numbers have steadily improved since hitting rock bottom — the low 20s — as he fended off demands for his resignation in the weeks and months that followed release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.

Mayoral confidantes readily acknowledge the mayor still is nowhere near a 50-percent approval rating and has much work to do to shore up support among African-American voters who helped elect him in 2011 and re-elect him, even after he closed a record 50 public schools.

As always, Emanuel mixed the Washington fundraiser with some official business. But, the mayor’s office would only say those meetings are with “senior” officials of the Trump administration “regarding economic development and job creation in Chicago.”