OH REALLY!

In todays Chicago Tribune the Mayor tries, with a straight face, explaining how compromise works in the city council.


For most of his tenure, the council has been compliant, but Daley bristled at the suggestion that it has been a rubber stamp.

"I have to work with each of the aldermen," he said. "I keep legislation in committee to work out compromises. I am a great compromiser. I don't have all the answers. They don't have all the answers."

Later Monday, an alderman who had been pushing to hire 100 new police officers over the mayor's opposition said they had reached a compromise.

Ald. Thomas Allen (38th) said after a council Budget Committee meeting that he was satisfied by the Daley administration's plan to aggressively fill vacant police positions with new hires.

Budget Director Paul Volpe told the committee that 179 of 222 positions that were vacant on Jan. 1 have been filled since June, and the remainder will be filled by year's end

Last year when certain aldermen made a push to create Fred Hampton Way we remember one particular alderman oppose it. Alderman Allen actually attended a FOP general meeting and explained to the membership that Fred Hampton Way would never see the light of day. Last month we posted a story in which Alderman Allen voiced his desire to see red light camera revenue be used to bolster our manpower with the addition of 100 new policemen. Alderman Allen's heart has to be in the right place however, it appears Mayor Daley presented him with a "compromise". Now that's a compromise! The city filled 179 of 222 vacant positions and the rest will be filled at the end of the year. It appears that the alderman got zero new hires and the city has filled
roughly 80% of existing vacancies with a promise to fill the remaining 20%. How in the hell is Ald Allen satisfied with this? Alderman Allen got nothing and in the end we get screwed. Thanks for trying Alderman but until the lemmings of this city stop electing the tyrant your opinion means nothing.