By Chuck Goudie, ABC 7March 18, 2009 (WLS) -- What happens when Chicago aldermen get their hands on generous expense accounts? And why isn't anyone watching?
The economy may be in the tank but Chicago aldermen are now flush with spending money. Their expense allotment more than doubled last year.
Each of the fifty members of Chicago's City Council now receives $73,280 a year for expenses.
The I-Team took a look at where some of that tax money goes and why some of it is unaccounted.
Watch the video and read more here.
I went ahead and did the math for ever'body:
ReplyDelete$3,664,000/year
What do you want to bet that the majority of Helen's expenses are for "consulting"? That seems to be her major and unspecified expense. Brendan, Denice Davis, Pam Barton, and a cast of thousands are all "consultants." Nice job if you can get it.
ReplyDeleteDunno if I'd have the personal COURAJ to be on Helen's payroll.
ReplyDeletePam Bartonnis one of my favorites. She attended a CAPS meeting and wouldn't let anyone talk. When a police officer walked back and asked her to be a bit more considerate, Pam, told the officer to mind her own business and called the officer a "F@#$% dyke."
ReplyDeleteCast of thousands?
ReplyDeleteDon't they have to pay their staff out this money? (I don't know.) One full time staff member would be at least $40K a year right? If you wanted someone goood.
the City budget has a line item for aldermanic staff separate from the expense acct (some of the loafers you see hanging in the ward office may be employees of the political campaign)
ReplyDelete2009 budget
Salary allowance for three full-time salaried employees per alderman
$8,824,200.00 total
$176,484.00 per alderman
$58,828.00 per staffer
Being Alderman is pretty sweet job when you look at the base pay, this expense fund and the pay offs they get not to mention they can use campaign fund as there own piggy bank.
ReplyDelete"Being Alderman is pretty sweet job ..."
ReplyDeleteClub Fifty
* an exorbitant and every-increasing $110,556.00/year salary for part-time work,
* with generous retirement benefits,
* extravagant and unsupervised $73,280/year expense account,
* 5-6 jobs each for friends & family,
* cars,
* unlimited gas,
* unfettered control of a over a million dollars in local City spending, and
* iron-clad job security in the form of the unchecked ability to sell authorization for development as a campaign fund-raiser
* choice of work locations - downtown Chicago or right in the neighborhood
ReplyDelete* be your own boss
* set your own hours
* annual junket to Las Vegas
ReplyDelete