Clout didn't help man's driving skills
In late 1997, Chang got a job driving a city garbage truck.
Helping him get hired was Ronald Calicchio, a high-ranking city official and leader of the controversial political group Coalition for Better Government.
The men's names were found on a secret clout list released during the trial of Mayor Daley's former patronage chief Robert Sorich, who was convicted of mail fraud last week.
Chang, though, had a less-than-perfect driving record behind the wheel of his garbage truck, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
He averaged an accident a year. It took six accidents in his city garbage truck before the city fired him.
In 1998, Chang struck a concrete block while backing out of an alley. He got a reprimand.
The next year, he rear-ended a vehicle. Another reprimand.
In 2001, he backed into the door of another truck.
The following year, he rear-ended a garbage truck in front of him at a traffic light.
In 2003, he rear-ended yet another vehicle. He got a four-day suspension for that accident and the one from the year before.
Later that year, he got into his sixth and final accident, the most serious one.
'Distracted,' and truck is totaled
Chang had just dumped a load of garbage at the city dump site at 63rd and State when he drove away without bringing the truck's tailgate back down.
A buzzer and a flashing light on the truck's dashboard would have warned Chang that the tailgate was up, according to statements by his supervisors.
As would a check in the sideview mirror.
Also, with the tailgate up, the truck would have driven differently.
Chang admitted later in court that he was "distracted." So distracted that he plowed into a viaduct at 64th and State.
The impact sheared off the tailgate and flipped the truck onto its side, damaging the truck beyond repair.
City officials said Chang acted negligently, damaged public property, had an inattention to duty and engaged in conduct unbecoming a public employee. They cited "incompetency or inefficiency" in his duties.
Chang countered that he saw no blinking light, heard no alarm and did not notice the truck driving differently because he was driving slowly.
In August 2003, two months after the accident, he was fired.
Chang sued to get his job back. He argued that the city shouldn't have used the older accidents against him.
And he blamed his last accident on the city. He says the city never trained him to operate a garbage truck's dumping mechanism.
Still wants city job back
A Cook County judge shot down Chang's request at getting his job back, and last week, the Appellate Court of Illinois upheld that decision.
A spokesman for the Department of Streets and Sanitation offered no response when asked Friday afternoon about the circumstances of Chang's hiring and firing, saying he did not have enough time to gather the information.
Calicchio declined to comment Friday.
Chang's attorney, James P. Nally, said he's now driving for a private business but still wants his city job back and hasn't decided whether to appeal the Appellate Court ruling.
In addition to being a member of the Coalition for Better Government, Chang contributed $980 to the group from 2000 to 2003, campaign finance records show.
"It's just donations, that's all," Chang said Sunday, declining to comment further.
The coalition has a controversial history. One of its more well-known former members is John "Quarters" Boyle, who last year was sentenced to seven years in prison for taking bribes to steer Hired Truck business to private firms.
The coalition also came up repeatedly during the trial of Sorich and three colleagues -- all of whom were convicted last week.
The coalition was one of several political groups, made up mainly of city employees, that provided volunteers for Daley's political army in return for city jobs and promotions, according to evidence and testimony at the trial. But the coalition repeatedly generated controversy and fell out of favor with Daley's machine, according to prosecutors.
swarmbir@suntimes.com
spatterson@suntimes.com