watchdogs
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No more city work for top Emanuel aide’s spouse
THE WATCHDOGS: Between 2000 and when he left office last May, then-Mayor Richard M. Daley and agencies under his control approved roughly $20 million in payments to an architectural firm co-owned by his cousin’s husband. That cousin — Theresa Mintle — now is chief of staff to Daley’s successor, Rahm Emanuel.
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Alvarez: No special prosecutor needed in Koschman case
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez will fight a Mount Prospect woman’s effort to have a special prosecutor appointed to investigate the homicide of her son, who died after being involved in a drunken confrontation with Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former mayor Richard M. Daley.
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Disability-parking abuse crackdown targets meter cheaters in Loop
Ten able-bodied drivers who authorities say used disabled-parking placards or license plates to try to park for free in metered spots around downtown Chicago were ticketed Tuesday in the city’s first sting operation since stricter, new city penalties for the offense took effect Sunday.
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THE WATCHDOGS: Sewage official with ties to Ald. Mell flush with deals
THE WATCHDOGS: By his 28th birthday, Michael A. Alvarez — whose family is close to influential Chicago Ald. Richard Mell — already had worked for three powerful politicians: Richard M. Daley, Rod R. Blagojevich and Barack Obama. Now, at 31, Alvarez’s connections are helping provide him an annual income topping $200,000 from three separate jobs in or involving government.
Alvarez’s lobbying clients
Since Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office in May, Michael Alvarez has become a lobbyist at City Hall, in addition to being an elected commissioner of the Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. These are the clients he has represented since July.
State Rep. Rita gave ally’s daughter free ride to U. of I.
THE WATCHDOGS: State Rep. Robert Rita (D-Blue Island) awarded a coveted legislative scholarship providing four tuition-free years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to the daughter of Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), a close political ally.
Missing man being sought in federal housing probe
THE WATCHDOGS: A Ukrainian citizen who faces criminal charges in a mortgage-fraud case involving a Northwest Side property that was part of an affordable-housing program overseen by then-Ald. Billy Ocasio is being sought by federal authorities after being out of touch with them for several weeks.
The Watchdogs: Not a city employee, ex-Sen. Marovitz denied a city pension
THE WATCHDOGS: Former Illinois state Sen. William Marovitz was rejected for a city of Chicago pension. The reason: He was never a city employee, though his law firm did legal work for two city pension funds. Though Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s City Hall said no to Marovitz, the administration of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley approved a similar deal in 1998 for Daley’s brother-in-law, Dr. Robert M. Vanecko,
THE WATCHDOGS: City’s Park Grill lawsuit could hurt top Emanuel aide financially
THE WATCHDOGS: A lawsuit filed by the city of Chicago last month to break the Chicago Park District’s concession deal with the clout-heavy operators of Millennium Park’s Park Grill restaurant could have financial consequences for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s chief of staff, Theresa Mintle, who invested in the restaurant with her husband. She has transferred her ownership stake in the restaurant to her husband, according to City Hall.
At 87, O’Hare cop fired for living outside city limits — for 15 years
City Hall has fired Marvin Ditkowsky, 87-year-old Department of Aviation police officer at O’Hare Airport, for violating the city’s residency ordinance — for the past 15 years. That follows a Chicago Sun-Times report last year.
Ex-Daley aide finds a six-figure spot in Emanuel’s City Hall
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has given Patrick J. Harney — a former go-to player for Mayor Richard M. Daley — a new six-figure job.
Judge to hear Koschman special-prosecutor request in March
Arguments over whether a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate a 2004 Chicago homicide case involving a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and current White House Chief of Staff William Daley were set Wednesday for March 6 by a Cook County judge.
Felon William Cellini’s family still profits off state contracts
THE WATCHDOGS: Illinois law bans convicted felons from having state contracts, but companies tied to William Cellini’s family continue to manage privately owned properties leased by state agencies, the Chicago Sun-Times found.
State gave Cellini $90 million-plus in low-interest loans
Over the past 35 years, William F. Cellini has gotten more than $90 million in low-interest loans from the Illinois Housing Development Authority to build more than 4,000 apartments as affordable housing across the state.
State has paid $96 million-plus to lease a building tied to Cellini
Since 1984, Illinois taxpayers have spent more than $96 million leasing a former Sears department store in Springfield that was converted into office space by William F. Cellini, state records show
Cellini companies still making money off Illinois taxpayers
The family of William F. Cellini — who’s awaiting sentencing on a federal corruption conviction stemming from business deals with the state of Illinois — is still making money off the state’s taxpayers under management deals for properties that state agencies have been leasing for years, in some cases for decades, state records show.
Will state’s attorney oppose special prosecutor in Koschman case?
THE WATCHDOGS: The Cook County state’s attorney’s office indicated Thursday it may challenge an effort to get a special prosecutor appointed to investigate a 2004 homicide case involving Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
City cracks down on disability-parking scofflaws
THE WATCHDOGS: The city of Chicago has been cracking down on disabled-parking cheats since September, when a Chicago Sun-Times reporter begin asking Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration about the problem, city records show.
Koschman mom: Fighting for son, ‘want him to know I did everything’
THE WATCHDOGS: David Koschman’s mother says she wants a special prosecutor to examine her son’s death from a punch thrown by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, as well as the conduct of the police and prosecutors, because “the case was not handled properly . . . . I feel that, had the roles been reversed, if David had punched R.J. Vanecko, I’d be visiting my son in prison this Christmas.”
Koschman’s mom asks for special prosecutor to look into son’s death
THE WATCHDOGS: More than seven years after her son David Koschman died as the result of a punch thrown by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, Nanci Koschman asked Wednesday for the appointment of a special prosecutor to reexamine the entire case. Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko “is not entitled to escape prosecution simply because he is the nephew of former Mayor Daley,” she said.
