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Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III is accused of agreeing to limit the study of traffic enforcement systems to Chicago in exchange for money and favors. When SafeSpeed partner Omar Maani asked how much money he could raise for Jones, the senator allegedly told him, “You can raise me five grand. That’d be good. … But most importantly, I have an intern working in my office … and I’m trying to find him another job.”
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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I am very curious about the intern.
I have always wondered how Emil Jones’ son was able to snare the contract for running the computer networks for the Chicago city colleges.
It’s crazy that $5k as a bribe is all it takes to pass unpopular and clout heavy bills. I remember years back reading that aldermen in Chicago were accepting $500 campaign contributions to change the residential zoning classifications for tear downs to allow greater density.