Emanuel’s Involvement in Two Chicago Scandals Costs Taxpayers $172 Million

Jay Stone

Will Rahm Emanuel Testify About his Rigged Congressional Election?

It’s one thing for Rahm Emanuel to remain silent about his political past, but it is quite another when taxpayers continue to pay for Emanuel’s sins. Chicago’s job and election rigging schemes have already cost taxpayers at least $172 million, and the amount of money Chicago residents are paying for these scandals is increasing every day. The city spent the bulk of the $172 million on personnel contracts that were intended to correct the city’s hiring abuses, including the abusive personnel practices that benefited Emanuel’s political career.

The Daley administration purposely violated a Federal Court Order when it awarded job applicants and city employees with jobs, promotions, and overtime pay to campaign for Daley favored candidates, such as Rahm Emanuel. About 150 to 250 city workers unlawfully campaigned for Emanual when Emanuel ran for Congress. The money to pay for Emanuel’s campaign workers came from unsuspecting Chicago taxpayers, not Emanual’s campaign contributors. What makes taxpayers footing the bill for Emanuel’s campaign workers worse, Emanuel earned $16.2 million in the 16 months prior to him running for Congress.

In 2005 Judge Wayne Andersen held Mayor Daley and the city in Civil Contempt for Violations of Court Orders (After you click on the preceding link, see “Recent Legal Developments Leading to Appointment of Shakman Monitor”). Judge Andersen also assigned a federal court monitor to ensure Mayor Daley and the city complied with the Orders of the Court. The Federal Court monitor protects city job applicants and employees’ civil rights. The Federal Court monitor also guards the civil rights of candidates, political organizations, and voters. The assignment of the Federal Court monitor was due in part to politicians like Emanuel who sought unlawful advantages over their political competition.

Since 2005 Judge Andersen has twice denied Mayor Daley’s requests to remove the Monitor. In December, 2009 when Mayor Daley was gearing up for reelection, the mayor announced the city had cleaned up its act and was preparing to return to Federal Court for a third time to ask Judge Andersen to remove the Monitor. When Jay Stone learned of Mayor Daley’s plans to return to Federal Court, Jay requested that Judge Andersen call Mayor Daley and Aldermen Tom Allen, George Cardenas, and Eugene Schulter to court to explain their spurious remarks they made about him and Shakman Monitor Noelle Brennan. Furthermore, Jay informed Judge Anderson that Mayor Daley and the aldermen’s inflammatory comments showed that they don’t understand the original Court Order, and that their ignorance left them unable to follow the Orders of the Court. Since Jay suggested to Judge Andersen that he compel Mayor Daley and the aldermen to testify in his Court, Mayor Daley has not followed through on his December, 2009 promise to ask Judge Anderson to remove the Federal Court monitor.

In the next section Jay explains why he will ask Federal Court Judge Sidney I. Schenkier to call Rahm Emanuel to testify about how unlawful patronage workers ended up helping him win his congressional campaign. Judge Schenkier is now the Shakman case judge after Judge Andersen retired.

Emanuel Named in Federal Court Corruption Trial

During Donald Tomczak’s June, 2006 Federal Court testimony, Tomczak described the Daley administration’s job and election rigging schemes. Tomczak used his Water Department office to coordinate numerous campaigns, including that of Rahm Emanuel’s successful bid for Congress. Tomczak managed 150 to 250 city workers whose livelihood depended more on their campaign performance than it did on their job performance.

Tomczak received orders to campaign for specific candidates from Intergovernmental Affairs commissioners Victor Reyes and John Doerrer. Once the elections were over, Tomczak gave the Intergovernmental Affairs commissioners his list of city workers who campaigned for the Daley backed candidates. Employees at the Intergovernmental Affairs office rewarded the people on Tomczak’s campaign worker list with jobs, promotions, and other perks.

The Federal Court testimony below is an excerpt from the trial of Intergovernmental Affairs employee Robert Sorich. U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins is asking Donald Tomczak questions. Note, Tomczak’s workers campaigned for his son Jeff Tomczak when Tomczak junior ran for Will County State’s Attorney and Congress. Other than campaigning for his son, Tomzak’s unlawful army of patronage workers only campaigned for candidates picked by Intergovernmental Affairs commissioners Reyes and Doerrer

Q: Did you receive any instruction from Mr. Reyes or Mr. Doerrer for any congressional races?

A: Yeah. Rahm Emanuel.

Q: What office do you recall Emanuel running for?

A: Congress

Tomczak’s testimony proved the Daley administration tampered with Emanuel’s election as well as many others. Tomczak and his group also tampered with elections when Rahm Emanuel worked as a senior aide to Mayor Daley. Rahm Emanuel was not on trial, so the evidence and testimony were not focused on him, his work as a senior Daley aide, or his election to Congress. However, Tomczak’s testimony does raise enough suspicion as to whether or not Emanuel can fulfill his duties as mayor. If elected Emanuel will become Chicago’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is in charge of managing all city employees. Because of Emanuel’s connections to Chicago’s job and election rigging schemes that led to the appointment of the Federal Court monitor, it is unlikely that a Federal Court judge will remove the Federal Court monitor if Emanuel wins the election. Chicago residents will continue to pay for the Monitor because Emanuel’s past activities deem him untrustworthy. If a Federal Court judge won’t trust Emanuel to manage city employees, neither should the voters.

Witnesses Who Will Impeach Emanuel’s False Claims of Innocence

Besides asking Judge Sidney I. Schenkier to require Rahm Emanuel to testify about his  involvement in Chicago’s job and election rigging schemes, Jay will also ask the judge to interview Donald Tomczak, Emanuel’s campaign manager David Axelrod, Victor Reyes, John Doerrer, and Mayor Daley. All of these people were implicated in the job and election rigging schemes that led to Rahm Emanuel winning his congressional election. If Emanuel becomes mayor, Judge Schenkier has every right to know about Emanuel’s participation in the corruption that originally compelled a Federal Court judge to appoint a monitor. The testimony regarding Emanuel will provide Judge Schenkier with information that is necessary for him to make an informed decision about the Federal Court Monitor. Requiring Emanuel and others to testify is not about punishing Emanuel for what he did in the past, it’s about determining Emanuel’s fitness to serve as Chicago’s CEO in charge of city personnel.

Chicago Sun Times reporter Fran Speilman asked Rahm Emanuel, “Did you know soldiers in Tomczak’s army were being illegally rewarded with jobs, promotions and overtime?” When Emanuel answered Spielman’s question, Emanuel never denied Tomzcak’s unlawful patronage workers campaigned on his behalf. Emanuel complete answer to Spielman’s question was, “A, never met him. B, don’t condone it. C, there were thousands of volunteers because of my life-long work on gun control and putting 100,000 police officers [on the street].”

It was unnecessary for Emanuel to meet Tomczak in order for Tomczak and his group to campaign for Emanuel. According to his Federal Court testimony, Tomczak received his orders to campaign for candidates from Chicago’s Intergovernmental Affairs commissioners. Emanuel worked and operated above Tomczak and the Intergovernmental Affairs commissioners’ level. In the Daley Machine’s top down managerial style, orders to campaign for candidates always came from above, and Emanuel was at the highest level of the Machine’s organizational chart without being mayor.

There are several good reasons why Emanuel’s good friend and former campaign manger David Axelrod should also testify before Judge Andersen. David Axelrod served as campaign manager for Mayor Daley. Thus, Axelrod was a campaign manager of multiple candidates and in multiple elections in which Tomczak’s patronage army tampered with elections. Axelrod’s testimony can help Judge Schenkier determine whether or not it was a coincidence that two or more of Axelrod’s candidates received support from Tomczak’s patronage workers.

When Tomczak’s political foot soldiers were working elections, they were given their campaign assignments in meetings held on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Tomczak’s experienced patronage workers would not just show up in Emanuel’s district without knowing where to campaign for Emanuel. Someone from Emanuel’s campaign office had to supply Tomczak’s foot soldiers with Emanuel’s campaign literature prior to them canvasing the neighborhoods. Someone inside Emanuel’s congressional campaign had to tell members of Tomczak’s group which doorbells to ring, which telephone numbers to call, and which polling places to work. Axelrod is known for running sophisticated, organized campaigns in which Axelrod makes the important decisions. Axelrod’s testimony will provide information that will help Judge Schenkier determine whether or not Chicago still needs a Federal Court monitor with Emanuel as mayor.

Emanuel’s recent comments about Tomczak’s group helping him get elected to Congress raises more questions than it answers. Emanuel saying he doesn’t condone what Tomczak did is meaningless. Emanuel stating he does not condone corruption is one thing, Emanuel condemning corrupt activities and condemning corrupt people is quite another. Emanuel has never condemned Tomczak, members of Tomczak’s patronage army, or Mayor Daley for tampering with elections. Emanuel sure sounds like he is condoning Mayor Daley when Emanuel says he “loves” Mayor Daley, and he calls Mayor Daley a “great mayor.”

When Tribune reporters asked about Tomczak’s help with his congressional campaign, Emanuel replied, “I won’t let you malign the people who worked on this campaign because of different issues.”  Emanuel’s response reveals his arrogance and his lack of understanding the issue his congressional campaign raises. The issue of Tomczak electing Emanuel to Congress is still relevant today because Chicago residents are still paying to resolve the employee scandal that led to Emanuel being elected to Congress. Since Emanuel was a co-participant, co-schemer, and beneficiary of Tomczak’s misdeeds, it makes Emanuel’s involvement in the abuse of city personnel all the more serious. Tomczak’s admissions in Federal Court and Emanuel’s rationalizations to avoid questions about Tomczak is all Judge Schenkier needs to summon Emanuel to his chambers.