Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Thursday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

My series of notebooks on this week’s primary will continue on Friday. In the meantime, the Political Odds have been updated to reflect recent developments.
Tax Sham
“The Regional Transportation Authority has gone back to court in its still-expanding war against alleged sales-tax havens that operate on the periphery of the agency’s area,” Greg Hinz reports for Crain’s.
“In an action filed late yesterday in Cook County Circuit Court, the RTA names far-suburban Genoa, Savanna and Morris and three fuel-oil companies that it says have agreed to work together to avoid paying the agency’s regional sales taxes by locating ‘sham sales offices’ in the towns and the rebating a portion of what is paid back to the companies.”
I’d like to know what Bruce Rauner thinks about this – and about the plethora of tax-dodging strategies. Sound business or deplorable behavior in need of hammerin’ and shakin’?


Council War
“A former Chicago Board of Education member is running for what many would consider a far less prestigious position: local school council member at two different Chicago public schools,” Linda Lutton reports for WBEZ.
“Rodrigo Sierra was handpicked by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2011 to serve on the city’s school board. He stayed until the end of 2012, when Emanuel asked him to become a commissioner for the Chicago Housing Authority.
“Now, Sierra is running for LSC as a parent representative at InterAmerican Magnet school and as a community representative at Blaine Elementary near his home.”
Huh. That’s weird.
“Blaine and its outspoken principal and LSC were among the loudest in the city to protest budget cuts last summer.
“In an unusual move, Blaine’s council voted to reject its budget to send a message to CPS. One of Blaine’s current LSC community representatives, Kate Schott Bolduc, helped form a coalition of more than 80 LSCs citywide to protest budget cuts and advocate for more funding.”
Oh.
*
Now, I know what you’re thinking. But Lutton reports:
“Sierra says it would be ‘a big surprise’ to him if the mayor or anyone on the school board knew he was running.”
It would be a big surprise to me if Rahm didn’t know – and a bigger surprise to me if Rahm didn’t dream up a strategy of packing local school councils himself.
After all, Sierra is “a brand repositioning, media and public affairs expert,” which is very Rahmish.
Sierra is also a former deputy press secretary for Richard M. Daley who “established procedures and standards for the Mayor’s press office initiatives and duties to achieve results and meet all goals for deliverables.”
So he developed unique ways to say “No comment.”
*
Sierra is also a former board of education member who is now on the CHA board. But why bother telling your boss you’re in the running for a new side gig?
*
Meanwhile . . .
“Also running for a seat on Blaine’s LSC is an employee of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, communications manager Jodie Cantrell.”
Who’s next in the race, Becky Carroll?
*
“Cantrell did not disclose on her candidate statement that she works for a charter school advocacy organization, but she says she plans to do that tonight at Blaine’s local school council candidate forum.”
The last thing a communications manager would want to do is put something in writing; that’s something she learned in her job at Reputation Partners.
*
From Cantrell’s Twitter feed:

*


*



–
Kevin Trudeau’s Jailhouse Jig
More Oprah than Mandela.
Busting Warren Buffett’s Billion-Dollar Bracket
Heads he wins, tails you lose.
U of I Robot Ad Violated Policies
Totally lacked full disclosure.
–
BeachBook
* UNO Teachers Ratify First Union Contract.
* More Reasons Why Kristin Cavallari Won’t Vaccinate Her Children. Will playdates become scarce?
* Chicago Taxi Driver Charges $800 For Two-Mile Ride.
–
TweetWood


*


–
The Beachwood Tip Line: Get jiggy with it.

Permalink

Posted on March 20, 2014