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Politics : The Supreme Court, All Right or All Wrong? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sandintoes who wrote (247)	7/27/2005 11:59:31 PM
From: Glenn Petersen	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 3029

Durbin is probably untouchable in Illinois. The GOP in our state is essentially comatose. I suspect that is one of the reasons that Durbin feels safe to say whatever he wants, regardless of how inane it sounds. The Cook County GOP has a bounty out for Mayor Daley's head. How cool is that? Daley blasts Republicans for reward offer July 27, 2005 BY MAURA KELLY LANNAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement Mayor Richard Daley assailed the Cook County Republican Party Chairman on Wednesday for offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Daley's indictment and conviction. The Daley administration has taken a hit as federal prosecutors have widened their investigation of City Hall to include its hiring practices. The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, a federal judge refused to throw out a corruption charge Wednesday against a former city official accused of participating in a plot that gave well-connected applicants a break during job interviews and falsified interview scores to ensure they got the positions. Daley called Cook County Republican Party Chairman Gary Skoien's reward idea "deeply offensive" and "completely over the top." "These are challenging, difficult times. But no one, no one, whether in public life or anyone, ever should put a bounty on someone else's head," Daley said. "That stunt was below the belt." "This guy may disagree with me, he may not like me, he may not like my political party or my political philosophy, but for him to do what he did yesterday takes things to quite a low," Daley said. The reward follows last week's announcement by federal prosecutors that they had charged two City Hall officials with rigging the city's hiring system to flout a court order that bars City Hall from considering politics when filling most city jobs. Daley reacted to the charges by proposing that municipal hiring be turned over to an independent commission. Robert Sorich and Patrick Slattery, both 42 and of the city's Bridgeport neighborhood-- the political base of the Daley family-- are accused of participating in a plot that included sham interviews and the falsification of interview scores to ensure politically connected applicants got jobs. Sorich, from his post in the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs, told officials in the departments of water management, streets and sanitation, transportation and aviation which applicants to hire, according to court papers. Prosecutors said Slattery carried out those instructions from his post at the Streets and Sanitation Department. On Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole allowed a mail fraud charge to stand against Sorich. "I think there has been more than ample evidence to demonstrate that a crime has been committed," Cole said. Attorneys for both men have said they will fight the charges. The case is an outgrowth of an ongoing federal investigation of bribes being given in return for jobs in a $38 million program in which the city outsourced hauling work. Twenty-one people have pleaded guilty in that probe. Also on Wednesday, Daley said he was not aware of specific violations of the court order barring City Hall from considering politics when filling most city jobs. An attorney who got that court order has asked a federal judge to hold Daley in contempt of court for violating the decree. Michael Shakman argued in a document that "substantial" civil fines should be imposed on Daley and other city officials for what he says are "systemic, widespread violations" of the decree that bears his name. He suggested that "hundreds and perhaps thousands" of qualified jobseekers who were wrongfully passed over for city jobs be placed at the top of the list for new openings. Shakman did not allege that Daley had been aware of specific violations, but he blamed the mayor for a "culture of disregard for the law and disrespect for court orders." "If anyone's suggesting that I personally knew that violations were occurring, anyone (was) breaking the law, and I didn't stop them, they're completely wrong," Daley said Wednesday. "I never knew anybody to violate the Shakman decree." Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. suntimes.com