By Steve Rhodes
“The Better Government Association on Wednesday threw its support behind a proposed ordinance that would provide closer oversight of city privatization deals, hoping to help free it from committee,” DNAinfo Chicago reports.
“Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) proposed the ordinance last November. Calling it ‘a simple, sensible idea,’ Sawyer said Wednesday it would simply call for City Council oversight of any deal privatizing city property or services.
“‘Here we are, seven months later, and we still cannot get this initiative out of the Rules Committee,’ Sawyer said. ‘I think that’s wrong.'”
Even more so given that the ordinance is co-sponsored by 32 aldermen – meaning it would pass the council if brought up for a vote.
So what’s the problem?
“Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), chairman of the committee, did not reply to requests for comment.”
Mell, of course, is doing Rahm’s bidding.
In other words, when does the will of a single person without a vote in the matter overrule the will of 32 elected officials who do have votes? When you’re in Chicago.
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“Mell held a perfunctory, minute-long meeting of the Rules Committee before Wednesday’s City Council session, then left the Council Chamber abruptly after the meeting proper.”
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Also:
Rahm comes in, goes directly to Mell, meanwhile on the other side of the aisle, his IG director talking to Sawyer. We shall see…
— dri (@DriXander) June 26, 2013
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Mission accomplished.
More Rahm Rule
“Some aldermen trying to opt out of free parking at metered spaces on Sundays under the recently renegotiated meter lease deal say they are getting the runaround from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office,” the Expired Meter reports.
“During hearings on the revised parking meter lease deal several weeks ago, Corporation Counsel Stephen Patton assured aldermen that if they wanted to keep paid parking on Sundays in their wards to control business traffic they would have the support of Emanuel.
“But now, several aldermen are seeing resistance from a mayor’s office which seems to want to control the process of which wards are allowed to keep paid parking on Sundays, they say.”
Pat Quinn, The Bizarro Rahm
“The leader of the conference committee on Illinois pensions – which meets for the first time today – is already saying there’s no deadline,” the Illinois Radio Network reports.
“State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago), chairman of a pension conference committee, says the governor has no business setting a July 9 deadline for final action if he is not going to be part of the solution.
“If the Governor has a solution that he believes absolutely can get done in two weeks, we have a hearing. The Governor is welcome to come and suggest exactly what he thinks he can get the requisite votes for.”
The Chicago, Illinois Way: Unchecked and unbalanced.
Reversal Of Fortune
Now Illinois knows how poor people feel.
Pabst Blue Starbucks
“This fall, Starbucks will expand its Starbucks Evenings concept – coffeehouses that offer beer and wine,” Shanken News Daily reports.
“Additional Evenings venues will be launched in southern California, Atlanta, Chicago and the Pacific Northwest.”
Great. Now yipsters will be ordering Venti PBRs with foamy heads.
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Speaking of bad combinations, who’s ordering drinks at Applebee’s and IHOP anyway? In our Random Food Report.
Fabrication Station
“Next month, the Chicago Public Library will open the city’s first free ‘maker space’ on the third floor of Harold Washington Library in the Loop,” Crain’s reports.
“The pop-up fabrication lab will offer the public access to 3D printers, laser cutters, a milling machine and a vinyl cutter as well as a variety of supporting design software.”
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I’m thinking of making a city council.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Now in 3D.
Posted on June 27, 2013