John Kass reports:
Among Chicago politicians, the Emanuel announcement was treated with enthusiasm. But it was enthusiasm of the political salivary gland at the prospect of federal pork and leverage.
"It's a gain," said Mayor Richard Daley, speculating on all the contracts he would be able to give with new federal money. "It's a real gain, gain, gain," he said, repeating the word as if in prayer.
and
Loyal readers know why I put the (D-Tomczak) at the end of Emanuel's name. It refers to the corrupt Daley administration Water Department boss, Donald Tomczak, now in federal prison in Duluth, Minn. He sits there because he was convicted of bribery. Emanuel didn't have anything to do with that. But he was a political beneficiary of Tomczak and the Chicago Way.
Two years ago, at the federal trial of Mayor Daley's patronage chiefs—who were eventually convicted for building an illegal political army of city patronage workers to maintain the mayor's control on Chicago—Tomczak was a key witness.
Change you can believe in.
