Mayor Daley's White Patronage Army Had 4 Roti Family Members

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Four members of Chicago's powerful Roti family were part of a white ethnic patronage army of city workers that took orders from Mayor Daley's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

One of those Roti relatives, Daniel A. Sabbia, has been under investigation by city officials for allegedly operating two hot dog stands while he was supposed to be driving a truck for the Department of Streets and Sanitation. Sabbia quit his city job May 17. No charges have been filed against him.

Sabbia had been a member of a patronage army created and run by Daniel Katalinic, a deputy commissioner at Streets and Sanitation who is now retired.

Two years ago, Katalinic asked the mayor's patronage director, Robert Sorich, to promote Sabbia from a truck driver to an assistant superintendent. Sabbia didn't get the job, Katalinic testified Thursday in the federal case against Sorich and three other city officials accused of rigging hiring and promotions to reward political workers.

Katalinic is testifying to reduce the prison time he faces for taking $15,000 in bribes from another city employee, John "Quarters" Boyle, who wanted certain trucking companies hired by the Streets and Sanitation Department as part of the Hired Truck

Katalinic's political army had 300 city workers, including four Roti relatives, who volunteered to help elect various political candidates, including Rep. Rahm Emanuel. Katalinic asked the mayor's office to reward some of the workers with jobs and promotions.

Besides Sabbia, the other Roti relatives in Katalinic's political army were three cousins -- Bruno A. Bertucci, Bruno Thome and Ralph Vari, the Sun-Times found by examining court records in the Sorich trial. The Roti relatives could not be reached for comment.

The Roti family has had ties to City Hall, organized labor and the mob for three generations, dating back to the late Bruno Roti Sr., an Italian immigrant identified by the FBI as a mob boss and an associate of Al Capone. Roti's late son, Fred, was a powerful Chicago alderman who went to prison for taking bribes.

Filled ranks of Streets and San Roti family members have been on the City Hall payroll for years, often working in the Streets and Sanitation Department.

Sabbia, the son of a retired Chicago police officer, got hired by the city as a truck driver in 1980. His annual salary was $53,872.

Maybe Rahm Emanuel could lecture Republicans on the "culture of corruption".