Why Did Mayor Daley Appoint Chicago Mob Member's Son to Pension Board?

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

If Daley had no interest in directing pension fund investments, why did he appoint John Briatta, John Daley's brother-in-law, as a trustee of the Municipal Employees Pension Fund during the 1990s? Briatta had no financial expertise. He later went to prison for taking bribes in the Hired Truck program, but not before voting for Vanecko's pension deal.

Here's more on John Briatta:

Briatta has been a city employee for decades, landing the job soon after his sister, Mary Lou, married John Daley in 1975. The wedding sparked controversy because Mayor Richard J. Daley's son was marrying the daughter of Louis Briatta, described in press accounts at the time as a Loop gambling boss for the mob.

Louie Briatta was

identified by the United States permanent subcommittee on investigations in 1963 as a member of the Chicago crime syndicate.

Louis Briatta's brother in law was this high ranking made member of the Chicago Mob. Here's more on the Briatta family ties to the Chicago Mob, this labor hearing explains things:

12 Q. We'll come back at the end to the names that

13 your informants don't know anything about. I just want

14 to make sure we get that on the record.

15 But sticking for the moment to the names that

16 your informants have something to say about. Briatta

17 -- there's three Briattas, B-r-i-a-t-t-a, Joseph,

18 Louis, and Michael Briatta. These were all members of

19 1001. What if anything did your informants relate to

20 you concerning these individuals?

21 MR. LYDON: I mean you're looking at three.

22 We're lumping three together.

23 BY MR. THOMAS:

24 Q. We'll do one at a time. Okay. Joseph

25 Briatta.

16

1 A. Joseph Briatta is also now deceased.

2 Informants Number 2, 5, and 12 indicated that they knew

3 him. He was from the Taylor Street neighborhood. He

4 was part of the Briatta family. And they were well

5 known in the area as organized crime associates for

6 many years.

7 Q. And how about Louis Briatta?

8 A. Louis Briatta, Informants 2, 5, and 12 knew

9 Louis Briatta. They called him "Louie the Barber". He

10 ran a barber shop, I believe, on Polk and Aberdeen, and

11 it was a hangout for mobsters -- old time mobsters for

12 many years. And I believe his daughter married Mayor

13 Daley's brother.

14 Q. Michael Briatta, Sr.?

15 A. Michael Briatta, Informants Number 2, 5, and

16 12 all indicated he was again part of the Briatta clan,

17 if you will, and that he was known to be an organized

18 crime associate.

Mayor Daley's extended family.