Archive for November, 2009

Appalling Comment #101,382

Author: yinn

Nov 11

There was so much not to like at Monday night’s meeting I let this slip past until now.

31 Comments
Filed under: Council/City Watch | Tagged as:

“Good Night, Santa Cruz, We Love You”

Author: Kay Shelton

Nov 10

If folks here think they have their hands full with bloggers, it could be worse. FYI: The first couple of comments are not Rated G:


Read the rest of this entry

3 Comments
Filed under: Snark/Humor

Brendon Gallagher is My Alderman

Author: yinn

Nov 10

The 4th Ward has gone for so long without honest, effective representation that it took me awhile to recognize — trust? — the change; but it’s becoming apparent now we have a winner in Brendon Gallagher. He does his homework, is loyal to his Ward, obviously learns something every meeting, and shows little sign of getting sucked into the ethically-challenged culture at city hall. Last night Gallagher showed true leadership in the discussion and vote on the question of rescinding the Target tax abatement agreement. He deserves our support. He has mine. Two thumbs up.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump. Read the rest of this entry

7 Comments
Filed under: Council/City Watch | Tagged as: ,

Rally for a Better City Government

Author: yinn

Nov 9

We demand:

    Commitments to the highest standards of ethical conduct at all departments and levels of city government. This includes: full adherence to state ethics statutes, with full and repeated public disclosures of financial interests by elected officials, city employees, family members of city employees, former city employees, and board and commission members; ethics ordinance(s) including clear penalties for breaches of ethical conduct; and ethics training.
    The immediate termination of all staff involved in the Victor Wogen/Masonry Works employment arrangement with the city.

Read the rest of this entry

2 Comments
Filed under: Council/City Watch

DeKalb Declares War on Bloggers

Author: yinn

Nov 8

From Citizens Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) meeting minutes (PDF p. 42), September 21, 2009:

1. City Image Chairman Matya advised that at the suggestion of City Manager Biernacki, he and Mr. Barnes met with Mr. Biernacki, Mr. Espiritu and Mr. Herb Rubin regarding the City’s image on blogs, etc. It was suggested that the CCEC speak to the Daily Chronicle to see what can be done regarding untruths and personal attacks on the City and its employees. Also discussed was asking the CCEC and members of the community to write letters to the Chronicle to counteract this and look to the Chronicle for accountability.

Discussion ensued regarding how the bloggers may affect Council’s opinion on projects, i.e. the pedestrian pass through. Read the rest of this entry

17 Comments
Filed under: Council/City Watch

A Call for Better City Government

Author: yinn

Nov 7

What: March and Rally for Good Government
When: Monday, November 9, 5:15-6 p.m.
Where: Assemble at Lincoln & First Street; march to the Municipal Building on South Fourth

More: Bring signs if you can, and a smile for the cameras. Place sign ideas in comments if you like, and help us go viral with the info.

If you’ve not yet been phoned or e-mailed by one of the ringleaders and would like to participate, please e-mail me at yinn[at]citybarbs[dot]com and I’ll put you in the loop. Whether or not you can be there yourself, your recruitment efforts are greatly appreciated. We hope to include folks from the two most recent casualties of city business as usual (I mean besides the rank-and-file city workers themselves), social services staff and building tradespeople; but of course any fed up person is welcome.

2 Comments
Filed under: Calendar, Council/City Watch

A Call for ‘Ethical Capitalism’

Author: yinn

Nov 7

In 2004 — just about the zenith of the “greed is good” decades-long Wall Street feeding frenzy — Cambridge economist Noreen Hertz published The Debt Threat: How debt is destroying the developing world…and threatening us all. Here’s a great article about her experiences. Since the early 90s she’s been often ignored and sometimes attacked for her views that the markets were unsustainable, and that one of the major factors in unsustainability is inequality. Ignored, that is, until everything crashed last year.

Hertz saw the financial meltdown as not only a failure of the laissez-faire market, but also — and more important — a failure in thinking. “People either ignored the unknowable or purposely disregarded the facts,” she says. Read the rest of this entry

0 Comments
Filed under: Honor Roll, National/International, Quotables

Citybarbs Celebrates 4

Author: yinn

Nov 6

In early November 2005, Joe Croft plunked down $117 for a year of web hosting and posted an article about growth, sprawl and logistics in DeKalb.

The topics change but the need stays the same. Yesterday I renewed the hosting service for another year, and you know what? I’m still pumped. I feel like we’ve barely begun plumbing the potential of hyperlocal blogs in DeKalb.

Many, many thanks to the folks who have posted articles, lurked, left comments and/or contacted me behind the scenes.

yinn[at]citybarbs[dot]com

0 Comments
Filed under: Site News | Tagged as:

Fox Guards Henhouse in Chicago

Author: yinn

Nov 6

Friday balm for weary goo-goos (emphasis added):

The city watchdog agency charged with rooting out City Hall corruption sued Mayor Richard Daley’s administration on Wednesday, accusing it of thwarting an investigation into possible wrongdoing by current and former employees.

The inspector general’s office wants Daley’s top lawyer, Mara Georges, to hand over documents relating to a 2006 no-bid contract awarded to a former city worker.
…
The suit states that the investigation “to date suggests that the city’s process for awarding the contract under investigation was manipulated by city employees.”

Ah, blessed relief to know this sort of activity is still generally regarded as corruption. We seriously have to stop thinking we are better than Chicago. We clearly are not.

Bonus: Read the rest of this entry

0 Comments
Filed under: Council/City Watch, Goo-goo Files

Free FOIA Seminar in DeKalb

Author: yinn

Nov 5

NIU will host the first of about a dozen November seminars covering key changes to Illinois transparency laws on Monday, November 9, in the Holmes Student Center. The informational seminars, offered by the Illinois Attorney General’s office, are free and intended for both public officials and other residents who are interested in changes to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Open Meetings Act (OMA) that will go into effect at the beginning of next year.

Monday’s seminar will run from 1-3 p.m. in the Sky Room on the 16th floor of the Holmes Student Center. Although it is free, registration is required because seating is limited.

For more information, e-mail specialevents@atg.state.il.us or phone the Conference Registration Line at 1-866-376-7215.

The seminar does not take the place of required state training for FOIA and OMA officers of governmental units.

H/T B.F.

2 Comments
Filed under: Calendar, Goo-goo Files | Tagged as: , ,
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