2/26/07 Council

[OakParkSpartan]

First off, congrats to the fire fighters getting a promotion.

Phelan is wanting the taxpayers to cover the cost of his defense in a lawsuit due to his slinging mud at Scott Waugesback during Scott's campaign for Chicago alderman.  I've heard the attorney Phelan wants to use is very, very expensive, around $500 per hour.  Hopefully the aldermen will not approve this expenditure.  To put this in perspective, 100 hours of billing will take $50,000 in funds away from the city which could otherwise be used for police protection. 

[Bear]

"100 hours of billing will take $50,000 in funds away from the city which could otherwise be used for police protection."

That is a doosey, but the payout for j marzullos back pay is also a whopper on the agenda. By union law, son of frank was owed 62k in back pay after being reinstated. OC had to continue his vendetta
to beat a dead horse and amass another 100k in legal fees using taxpayer money on a case in which he had NO chance of prevailing.

Sharp move there mayor.

[Bonster]

Hopefully the aldermen will not approve this expenditure.  

WHOA BOY!!!
This outta be fun!



Sharp move there mayor.
You mean, sharp move there Bobby...

DCoB'ers...........yes, Marzullo and  Phelan.  Bobby's guys.  Sharp move there taking these winners on board, Bobby.

Besides having no plan, he's garnering support from all sorts of unscrupulous players.  Can you say, "old guard?"

[ZORBA]

Is that like Old Spice?

[Bonster]

Old Spice smells good in comparison.

[Terri]

amass another 100k in legal fees using taxpayer money on a case in which he had NO chance of prevailing.

Sharp move there mayor.

You saw the bill for the legal fees?  This employee was suspended from duties pending outcome of legal action, am I right?  IMO, the Mayor did the right thing to try to deny payment.  Did you expect him to cut a check, no questions asked? 

The packet says Alderman Phelan wants approval for legal fees for the firm of Miller Shakman.  I wonder if his counsel is Michael Shakman himself.  

[Bear]

"You saw the bill for the legal fees?  This employee was suspended from duties pending outcome of legal action, am I right?  IMO, the Mayor did the right thing to try to deny payment.  Did you expect him to cut a check, no questions asked?"

Terri, union contract terms were in place. It was not a suspension deal, it was reinstatement after he was canned by the SAO. He was on a "leave of absence" during his short tenure at the SAO, and was reinstated by the union. OC fought this, and withheld wages. There was no legal way to get around denying
funds owed despite how people felt, even tho the leave of absence letter submitted after the fact by his father was questionable at best due to timing. This is just another example of the mayors total ineptitude
and arrogance costing the taxpayers an additional 98k pissing our tax dollars in the wind for his own
political vendetta. OC has no defense in this matter, it was just plain stupid. And your OK with this deal? Time for a reality check Terri. This deal made OC look as bad as marzullo.

[cubbie07]

[/quote]
You saw the bill for the legal fees?  This employee was suspended from duties pending outcome of legal action, am I right?  IMO, the Mayor did the right thing to try to deny payment.  Did you expect him to cut a check, no questions asked? 


[/quote]

Terri,
No one expects anyone to cut a check no questions asked.  But I would expect the city to follow the courts rulings and not waste taxpayers dollars appealing it for over a year.   Lets call things the way they are...  The only reason OC fought this for so long was because the kids last name is Marzullo. 
How much more money is the city going to waste defending Phelan?  I hope they put a cap on it.

[Bonster]

This is just another example of the mayors total ineptitude and arrogance costing the taxpayers an additional 98k pissing our tax dollars in the wind for his own
political vendetta. 

I was under the impression they were fighting the legality of the leave of absence, not the legality of his return from one.  Where did you see the $98K figure? 


This deal made OC look as bad as marzullo.

Nothing can look that bad...

Except Bobby taking Marzullo under his wing.

[Bonster]

How much more money is the city going to waste defending Phelan?  I hope they put a cap on it.

Yes, at $0.

[Bear]

"Where did you see the $98K figure?"

His original reinstatement wage at the outset of this beef was determined to be 62k.

The remaining 98K represents legal fees and interest paid

[Bonster]

Again, where are you getting this 62 + a remaining 98 = $160K figure from?

Point me to the thread/case/notes.  Just curious.

[Terri]

"You saw the bill for the legal fees?  This employee was suspended from duties pending outcome of legal action, am I right?  IMO, the Mayor did the right thing to try to deny payment.  Did you expect him to cut a check, no questions asked?"

Terri, union contract terms were in place. It was not a suspension deal, it was reinstatement after he was canned by the SAO. He was on a "leave of absence" during his short tenure at the SAO, and was reinstated by the union. OC fought this, and withheld wages. There was no legal way to get around denying
funds owed despite how people felt, even tho the leave of absence letter submitted after the fact by his father was questionable at best due to timing. This is just another example of the mayors total ineptitude
and arrogance costing the taxpayers an additional 98k pissing our tax dollars in the wind for his own
political vendetta. OC has no defense in this matter, it was just plain stupid. And your OK with this deal? Time for a reality check Terri. This deal made OC look as bad as marzullo.

You reminded me that the City paid the Law School tuition for this employee, I must have tried to forget that happened.  The same employee takes a leave of abscence from our Fire Dept. to work as a State's Attorney, that didn't work out so the employee asks to return to fighting fires.  It's not ok since we footed the bill for Law School yet competely legit under the past tuition reimbursement program.

It's unrealistic to assume the outcome of any court case and I believe it was right to bring this case into court.  The outcome was not in favor of the City, the court ruled and employee gets his money.  Additionally, I would expect ANY Mayor to step up and defend the City and its residents.     

You have a different opinion and that's ok. 

[Bonster]

"You saw the bill for the legal fees?  This employee was suspended from duties pending outcome of legal action, am I right?  IMO, the Mayor did the right thing to try to deny payment.  Did you expect him to cut a check, no questions asked?"

Terri, union contract terms were in place. It was not a suspension deal, it was reinstatement after he was canned by the SAO. He was on a "leave of absence" during his short tenure at the SAO, and was reinstated by the union. OC fought this, and withheld wages. There was no legal way to get around denying
funds owed despite how people felt, even tho the leave of absence letter submitted after the fact by his father was questionable at best due to timing. This is just another example of the mayors total ineptitude
and arrogance costing the taxpayers an additional 98k pissing our tax dollars in the wind for his own
political vendetta. OC has no defense in this matter, it was just plain stupid. And your OK with this deal? Time for a reality check Terri. This deal made OC look as bad as marzullo.

You reminded me that the City paid the Law School tuition for this employee, I must have tried to forget that happened.  The same employee takes a leave of abscence from our Fire Dept. to work as a State's Attorney, that didn't work out so the employee asks to return to fighting fires.  It's not ok since we footed the bill for Law School yet competely legit under the past tuition reimbursement program.

It's unrealistic to assume the outcome of any court case and I believe it was right to bring this case into court.  The outcome was not in favor of the City, the court ruled and employee gets his money.  Additionally, I would expect ANY Mayor to step up and defend the City and its residents.     

You have a different opinion and that's ok. 

Soo...is the 160K figure accurate?

Or is it actually 98K minus 62K = $36K?

[Bear]

"Nothing can look that bad...

Except Bobby taking Marzullo under his wing."

Bons...This has never happened. The DCOB is a NEW party. #7 has distanced himself
and the party from people like this and the "old gaurd" you refer to. If you had ever been
to any DCOB functions you would know none of the members of the old gaurd are
present. As a matter of fact, most of the leaders of the DCOB were not even involved in politics
prior to the 2005 election and the forming of the DCOB.

[Bonster]

This has never happened. The DCOB is a NEW party. #7 has distanced himself
and the party from people like this and the "old gaurd" you refer to.

You couldn't be more wrong. 
He has accepted contributions from the guy, and and told me these folks are his friends going way back.
Woodward only recently was removed from the August copies of the Voice as a member of the Board of Directors.
Mario Lavorato - as BRDO as you can get, goes directly to Bobby when questioned about his articles (who then calls the Bonster Complaint Hotline).  Nice.
You don't have to have been involved in politics to have been affiliated with the BRDO, either, and he's involving folks who don't even live in Berwyn to make up his guard.

There is nothing "New" about this party.  No New, young blood.  No New progressive ideas.  Citizen's interests are not as important as theirs, no different than with McCheese, even without solid plans in place!  (this was confirmed!)

They are garnering votes without a plan, based upon handshakes and a wink, paying folks at their fundraisers, including organizations which give pit bulls away in Berwyn.  Read my signature - it was verified by your leader to my face.  Truth.


Again, I ask:  Where are the Republican voices in Berwyn?  Do they exist only in Cicero and on BTF?

[Ted]

"Nothing can look that bad...

Except Bobby taking Marzullo under his wing."

Bons...This has never happened. The DCOB is a NEW party. #7 has distanced himself
and the party from people like this and the "old gaurd" you refer to. If you had ever been
to any DCOB functions you would know none of the members of the old gaurd are
present. As a matter of fact, most of the leaders of the DCOB were not even involved in politics
prior to the 2005 election and the forming of the DCOB.

  Bear, what you been smokin' dude?  Look at the people who were involved in the BRDO and the people involved and who have contributed to the DCOB.  Same names, dude.

Here are some names from the Illinois Board of Election website of people who contributed to both the BRDO and the DCOB/Lovero:

  Bob Lovero, Jerry Marzullo, Michael Woodward, Tony Laureto, Alba Lovero, Dorothy Chiero, Michael Raymond, owner of OOT, owner of James Joyce, Paul Dimmena (e.g. Diamond Graphics) , Ed Wanderling,  George Gaspasras, Friends of Thomas Shuaghnessy, Nosek & Associates, Ron Pechota, several members of the Cimaglia family,  Aiertite Windows and Home Improvements, Awesome Pest Services, Berwyn Insurance and Financial Services, the Karaseks, Myrtle & Walter Slawko, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...


  I am not knocking any of these people and I have a lot of respect for people like Mike Raymond, the Karaseks, etc.  But everyone on the above list has been involved or contributed to the BRDO AND have been involved with or contributed to Lovero or the DCOB.

  So, please Bear, don't go blowing smoke up our ass that the people in the DCOB are a different set of people that who were in the BRDO.  Just look at the above list.  THose are only some of the names.

  Ted

[Bonster]

Under which party did Nora run for 8th Ward Alderman?

[OakParkSpartan]

They approved Phelan hiring that law firm.  Lots of talk about not actually PAYING for it.  I'll believe it when I see it.  One interesting exchange is when Weiner asked Phelan about his homeowneres insurance, and Phelan refused to answer.  The ordinance which Phelan submitted had a clause that the city would pay only when ordinary insurance would not cover the suit.  Apparently the aldermen chose to ignore this part of the ordinance and just.

As I said, I don't believe that this will end with no money being spent.  I hope EVERYONE remembers that only Weiner and Ramos voted against approving this communication. 

[Berwyn Patsy]

Thanks Ted for the vote of respect for Michael Raymond.  He is a good guy and I think I would feel the same about him, even if I wasn't married to the man!  LOL!!
I do have to add this though, any contributions we contributed in the last campaign where for Michael Woodward OVER Michael O'Connor. My Mike has always been a democrat.  We both joined the democratic party after the DCOB was organized, never were actual members before.