Rahm Emanuel’s offensive new pension-gutting scheme The mayor of Chicago is now arguing that pension funds are not part of city government at all. How convenient! DAVID SIROTA TOPICS: RAHM EMANUEL, CHICAGO, PENSIONS, ILLINOIS, SEC, BUSINESS NEWS, POLITICS NEWS On its face, Chicago’s municipal pension system is an integral part of the Chicago city government. The system is included in the city’s budget, it is directly funded by the city, and its various boards of trustees include city officials and mayoral appointees. Yet, when it comes to enforcing the city’s anti-corruption laws in advance of the Chicago’s closely watched 2015 municipal election, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration is suddenly arguing that the pension funds are not part of the city government at all. The counterintuitive declaration came last month from the mayor-appointed ethics commission, responding to Chicago aldermen’s request for an investigation of campaign contributions to Emanuel from the financial industry. The request followed disclosures that executives at firms managing Chicago pension money have made more than $600,000 worth of donations to Emanuel. The contributions flowed to the mayor despite a city ordinance — and an executive order by Emanuel himself — restricting mayoral campaign contributions from city contractors. Brushing off the lawmakers’ complaint about Emanuel’s donations from the financial industry, the mayor’s ethics commission issued a nonbinding legal opinion arguing that Chicago’s pension systems are “not agencies or departments of the city, and thus firms that contract with them are not doing or seeking to do business with the city.” The commission’s interpretation means financial firms’ business with Chicago pension funds should be considered exempt from city ethics laws. With the aldermen’s complaint about campaign contributions generating headlines and potentially complicating Emanuel’s already tough race for re-election, the Emanuel-appointed commission was unusually frank about its motives: It said the release of its opinion was designed “to attempt to ensure that no ethical clouds are hanging over any candidate’s head.” In an era of money-dominated politics, it isn’t particularly surprising that the Windy City happens to be the place where government is pioneering such an innovative method of helping a corporate-backed incumbent. It also isn’t surprising that the city commission charged with making sure the mayor is following city ethics laws is itself appointed by the mayor, thus making it more Emanuel’s political weapon rather than an independent enforcement mechanism. It is Chicago, after all — a place synonymous with political chicanery. The CORRUPT, UNETHICAL JERK that Obama sent to Chicago as MAYOR is DESTROYING THE CITY AND OUR DEMOCRACY!! EMANUEL is now RUNNING THE CITY COUNCIL AND HIS LACKIES SPECIFICALLY GEORGE CARDENAS-12th Ward- IS AS BAD IF NOT WORSE! HOW DO THEY DEAL WITH COMPETITION? DENY THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHALLENGE THEM IN THE ELECTION!! MY SIGNATURE AS WELL AS THE CANDIDATE HIMSELF- PETE DEMAY WERE THROWN OUT ALONG WITH VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE OTHERS SO THAT THAT DOG CARDENAS COULD RUN UNCHALLENGED-BECAUSE HE WOULD LOSE!!!! MPPA meeting on January 26th will examine the highly undemocratic Chicago Board of Elections. We will show our residents very specifically which signatures were disrespected and tossed out like so many potato peels. Tossed off ballot, election rivals fight to face aldermen After aldermanic candidates were removed from the ballot, three more wards in Chicagos City Council races were left with incumbent aldermen facing no opposition.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM THE EVEN WORSE PART IS THAT OBAMA JUST CUT A COMMERCIAL FOR TV TO PROMOTE THIS CORRUPT IDIOT!!!
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 08:30:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015