Daley's lips sealed on truck scandal

Daley's lips sealed on truck scandal
Defensive mayor says he has yet to find answers

By Gary Washburn and Christi Parsons, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporter Dan Mihalopoulos contributed to this report
Published May 5, 2005


Though 15 months have passed since the first arrests in City Hall's Hired Truck scandal, Mayor Richard Daley said Wednesday he still doesn't know who in his administration installed the corrupt Angelo Torres as head of the trucking program.

Describing himself as "hurt, embarrassed, disappointed" by broadening allegations of wrongdoing uncovered by federal prosecutors, Daley said as many as seven names of possible Torres sponsors have been floated around City Hall and the mayor's aides are seeking to identify if any of those--or someone else--is responsible.

Federal investigators are also looking into it, the mayor said at a news conference shortly before heading to Springfield to lobby lawmakers for more transit and school money and later to party with them.

Meanwhile, Daley responded to allegations that Water Management Department employees have been rewarded with promotions and pay increases for working on political campaigns by saying that any such practice is unacceptable and illegal and that he "has never been a party to that."

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0505050242may05,1,4214723.story?coll=chi-news-hed

This may seem like a local issue to most DUers and on the surface it is. Unfortunately, you have Blagojevich as governor with scandals of his own who will probably face off against Lisa Madigan for the primary run and Madigan is heavily supported by the Daley machine. The only saving grace is that Judy Baar Topinka will probably be the Republican candidate and that may be enough to keep the governor's seat in Democratic hands, albeit only for long enough to have all scandals blow up. So now this is a statewide issue

Also, Rahm Emmanuel is now embroiled in this Daley scandal (he received campaign donations from the hired truck company shakedowns) and with a House Ethics Committee ready to take off and revenge seeking Republicans out there ready to pounce on any Democrat for any hint of corruption and you have an explosive situation. This makes the hired trucks scandal one of national importance.

The Democratic Party in Illinois is on the brink of implosion. If things continue in their current direction, expect Illinois to go Red in '08 (yeah, that's right, true blue Illinois is in danger of going red).

Flame away.

bring up every stereotype of past political machines. It's the image that the Democratic party had pretty much gotten rid of. A major scandal of this kind brings up all those old ghosts.

Is it even reasonable for Daley to deny knowledge of how Torres got hired? It doesn't sound like it to me.

during the Licenses for Bribes scandal. This does not play well in Illinois where we've heard all of this before from a Republican Governor who left office in disgrace and which lead directly to the current state of affairs for the Illinois Republican Party.

Nothing could invigorate the Illinois GOP more than these sorts of ugly scandals dredging up the negative imagery of the past.

I couldn't be the only one who holds this impression, but isn't "Chicago politics" and "corruption" pretty much par for the course and has been for decades? You'd think the citizens there would be immune to some degree.

When George Ryan was hit with that one, corruption cannot stand.

Same guy who did the investigation in that one is doing the investigation in this one, Patrick Fitzgerald.

I expect high level prosecutions. Daley could end up being indicted. Emmanuel could go down, too.

The two word Delay and scandal are so imprinted together in my brain that I read your headline as Delay rather than Daley.

:evilgrin:

Daley goes with scandal as much as Delay. :P

At least I hope he is.

He has Democrats (machine)and Republicans (machine) upset with him, in many 'peoples' eyes that's a good thing. I've heard Republicans state how they are pleased with him and that they will be voting for him next time.

The main reason: He promised not to raise taxes and to balance the budget. He's actually holding to his promises.

The Democratic machine doesn't like him because he isn't catering to the Daley machine. The same is true with the Republican machine, they can't force him to bend to their will.

I like Blagojevich for President, personally.

and I doubt he will be governor after next year.

He can't get Republican votes if he doesn't win the Democratic Primary, and Madigan will make a run for it. Mark my words.