METRA: THE WAY TO REALLY FLY…AWAY WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY

7/10/13

Metra Board Chairman Brad O’Halloran (pictured) did an interview with the Chicago Tribune yesterday in an effort  to cool the heat that will burn in his seat as he undergoes grillings from various governmental and quasi-governmental bodies this week regarding about the strange, unmerited, and at least extra-legal quarter million dollar severance kiss Metra gave its failed CEO Alex Clifford.

Mr. O’Halloran blasted those who think Mr. Clifford’s sweet deal was part of some sort of secrecy pact designed to keep the deep, dark secrets of Metra incompetence, or worse, deep and dark at least until Mr. O’Halloran and his cronies can make off with bundles of cash similar to those they gave Mr. Clifford.  Mr. O’Halloran explained that his critics have been “flat out wrong” and that Mr. Clifford was fired for poor performance.  Mr. O’Halloran specifically cited Mr. Clifford’s decision to increase the cost of 10 ride Metra passes, which eliminated any dollar benefit from buying the passes (See 4/21/13’s now seminal post THE METRA BOARD:   PARADISE FOR POLTROONS, POPINJAYS, AND PATRONAGE PARASITES) and Mr. Clifford’s approval of the construction of the Englewood Flyover, which might sound like a lot of things but is in reality a railroad bridge on the south side, for $93 million.

There are at least two problems with Mr. O’Halloran’s bleatings, other than the obvious, i.e., that if poor performance were grounds for dismissal, Mr. O’Halloran, the whole Metra board, and about 95% of the public and quasi-public servants in this state would be out of work.

First, Mr. O’Halloran’s listing of examples of Mr. Clifford’s incompetence explains why Mr. Clifford was fired, but does not explain why Mr. Clifford was entitled to a quarter million severance package.  Indeed, this listing of Mr. Clifford’s shortcomings undercuts the argument for such a reward.

Second, the Metra Board approved both the Englewood Flyover boondoggle and the bone-headed hike in the 10 ride pass.  Mr. O’Halloran himself voted for the latter.  If the hike in the price of the 10 ride fare pass were sufficient grounds for Mr. Clifford’s sacking (It was; again, see my 4/21 post.), and Mr. O’Halloran voted for it, the implications for Mr. O’Halloran’s continued service on the board should be obvious.

The performance of Mr. O’Halloran in l’affaire Clifford just adds further evidence to a point I made on 4/21, to wit…

…the Metra board is a repository for hacks, hangers-on, suck-ups, toadies, lackeys, and other virtually unemployables. 

This is Illinois, however, so Metra’s board is not at all unique in this respect.

See my two books, The Chairman, A Novel of Big City Politics and The Chairman’s Challenge, A Continuing Novel of Big City Politics, for further illumination on how things work in Chicago and Illinois politics. 

DICK MELL USED OUR MONEY TO PAY PEOPLE TO SLEEP: “THEY’RE GONNA SAY…WHAT A GUY!”

7/7/13

As the reporters who normally would despise someone like retiring Alderman Dick Mell were heaping praise upon the guy as he was heading out the door (See yesterday’s already seminal post FAREWELL, DICK MELL…SORT OF.), Mr. Mell let go with this whopper when asked about the “thousand” patronage jobs he had at his disposal at the height of his power as boss of the 33^rd Ward:

“The jobs that I really thought were great ones were the bridge tender jobs.  At one time we had three people on every bridge.  I put four kids through college as bridge tenders.  I would get them on the second shift from 3 to 11, where they could do their homework.  Or 11 to 7, where they’d sleep, and they were getting electrician’s pay, and it was great.”

Could Mr. Mell, in his efforts to sound like the paterfamilias of his ward, kindly dispensing favors to the hardworking residents who only had to show their gratitude by serving the “community,” in the person of Dick Mell, be so tone deaf?   Doesn’t he realize what he was saying?

I have news for Mr. Mell.  HE did not put any kids, other than his own, through college.  The TAXPAYERS put kids through college by paying them electricians’ wages for doing the work of a bridge tender, which was, most of the time, no work at all.   Further, all those people who put in the hard work necessary to become union electricians so that they could earn the wages that go with acquiring and applying such a skill were made to feel like chumps.  If they had only sucked up to Dick Mell, or one of his colleagues among the Organization’s ward bosses, they could have made those wages for doing nothing. 

Thanks, Dick Mell, for taking our money and handing it out to those who have somehow garnered your favor.  Isn’t it good to know that our tax dollars went toward paying hangers-on and toadies skilled labor wages for doing nothing so that Dick Mell could tell everyone that HE put them through college?

Mr. Mell is only being singled out for criticism here because he happens to be retiring and putting his foot in his mouth in the process.   He is no different from any of the old time ward bosses, whose modus operandi was to condition their constituents to behave like sycophants, to bow and scrape before these estimables, in order to get the services that we paid for...at a substantial premium as consideration to the pols for all that they added to the process of delivering these services.

But we kept electing these guys.   And now we wonder why the city and the state are in such bad financial shape.

See my two books, The Chairman, A Novel of Big City Politics and The Chairman’s Challenge, A Continuing Novel of Big City Politics, for further illumination on how things work in Chicago and Illinois politics.