Daley asked Ald. Stone to resign as vice mayor

Seems that Berny Stone's version of why Mayor Daley is supporting St. Senator Ira Silverstein for Democratic Committeeman is a bit far fetched. The Sun-Times Columnist, Michael Sneed, who tends to be clued in to the comings and goings of the 5th floor, writes:

The snubbing/drubbing of Ald. Bernard Stone, who has been in office for 35 years, is a classic case of "Upset the mayor -- get tossed under the bus."

• • The story behind the story: Sneed hears Mayor Daley's decision not to back loyalist Stone, 80, for 50th Ward Democratic committeeman had its beginning long before Stone's vote against the 2008 city budget.

• • The first shot: Sneed hears rumbles that Daley sent an emissary from the city's Intergovernmental Affairs office to solicit Stone's resignation as vice mayor -- at the start of Daley's present term.

• • The upshot: Considering his long tenure and loyalty to Daley in the City Council, Stone believed the request to be out of line and refused.

• • The buckshot: Word is Daley, who has a long memory, chalked this up as "strike one" against Stone.

• • The backshot: Stone's subsequent "no" votes on the budget and property tax increases -- despite 18 years of tough political support for Daley (including on such issues as the controversial big-box ordinance) -- seem to be strikes two and three. Stone's big-box vote almost cost him his aldermanic seat last February.

Hugh Devlin, who doubles as an information central for many things in the neighborhood, is right when he says:

It is reasonable that Daley had an idea of the current investigation into voter fraud in the 50th, and knew it was actionable and ongoing, at the time Daley asked Stone to step down.

I'd take it a bit further. If the Mayor sent someone from the Inspector General's office to ask Stone to resign, then he definitely understood the implications of the investigation into Stone's criminal organization and was looking to separate himself from it. The Mayor has enough problems with governing the city; he doesn't need Stone's criminal activities to reflect poorly on him or on the city of Chicago.

None of us do.

Reputation? What "Good Reputation?"

One hears that Ald. Stone contends that there's 'No Doubt About My Good Reputation.'

My wife giggled at that. Which just about says it all.

This is the ward where some residents are embarrassed to admit who their alderman is, even though they love the neighborhood. So Berny is partially right -- there is no doubt about his reputation. It's just not good.

This was true even before one of his hired thugs got indicted. Before the press was called in by a priest at one precinct and the Board of Elections was called in to another. Before all the vacuous rumors Stone and his thugs started about opponents, before he promised to "take out" Lou Lang, Ira Silverstein and Jan Schakowsky. Long before, to be accurate.

It's not just that Berny Stone has gotten old. It's more like all the things he's said and done have come back to haunt him. Remember when Berny was challenged about all the rumors of corruption around him? What did he say? "Call the police."

Well, somebody did. In fact, it sounds like more than one somebody did. Berny Stone standing up at City Hall proclaiming that he still has his good name is just like President Clinton standing up at the White House and telling the nation that he did not have sex with "that woman." Actually, given Stone's braggadocio about his ties to the old machine and Fred Roti, President Clinton was more credible when he claimed not to have had sex with that woman.

Berny, you may have protected yourself from the city's Inspector General, but you can't hide from Patrick Fitzgerald or the feds. You have much to account for before you can even think about getting your "good reputation" back. Trying to argue over what the meaning of "is" is won't help.

Stone's Corrupt Practices Continue

I remember during the course of the campaign, I saw a video clip somewhere, where Ald. Stone described his pattern of corruption along the lines of, "I do something for them, and they do something for me. What's the matter with that?" I'm paraphrasing here from memory.

One of the problems (aside from the outright corruption involved) is that this isn't what Stone practices.

Perhaps my definition of corruption and is a little different than Stone's. Stone seems to think that he has to be caught (by the Feds) with money in his freezer to be called corrupt. I disagree.

But we have a perfect example of why I think Stone is corrupt right now. A prospective new business owner took possession of 6969 Western Ave in January. According to him, he cleaned out the building, which he believed he had to do before he could apply for the necessary permits. When I talked to him about this, he didn't seem to think that he needed a zoning change when he moved in. He suggested that he had talked to the city about all the costs that were involved before he took possession.

It appears that he talked to the wrong person.

Because now he has applied for a zoning change that he isn't required to have. In Chicago, this has notoriously meant that some kind of money changes hands, whether directly or to the alderman's campaign committee. But what interests me about this example is how it is different from the alderman's own words. Unlike the alderman's simplistic description of his corruption above, the alderman expected something upfront, before he'd do anything for the person asking for help. What Stone expected first, before he'd even help this prospective business owner, was control over his window space.

You see, when this person started renting this space on Western Ave, he had no idea he was renting next to (actually, near) Stone's main opponent. And Stone's campaign wanted to use that empty storefront to send a signal to his opponents and the voters in the ward. So instead of helping this gentleman, walking him through the permit process, it was suggested that it would be wiser to wait until the election was over. "Don't want to stir up trouble."

Instead of opening up his business, the alderman interfered and took control of this property. He required something first, before he'd use his office to help start a new business in the ward. This is, to my way of thinking, corrupt. We already pay the alderman almost $100,000 (for part time work) to help the people who live and work in the 50th Ward. They shouldn't be required to bribe or do favors for the alderman to get him to do his job. If Stone needs to be bribed, then he shouldn't be drawing a salary from the city at all.

Outside of Chicago, bribery is most rampant in places where people do not make an adequate living, and they use their office or power for personal gain. No one can argue that Stone is underpaid, that he can't live quite comfortably off of $100,000 a year.

But Stone argues this is how Chicago works. I'd suggest that it is evidence of how Chicago doesn't work. These kind of impediments to starting a business or improving a home (or whole neighborhood) hurt the ward and hurt the whole city. They don't help it. When you walk or drive around the ward and wonder why there is so little business activity here, you will understand. Stone won't help new businesses move into the ward without a little something, something first. So why should they want to move in here? There's lots of better business environments very close to the 50th, without all the political obstacles.

It seems to me that only in Berny Stone's mind can Stone not be considered corrupt. I've tried to convince people to take these kinds of things to Patrick Fitzgerald (after all, the alderman has dared us to do so!). There's more to this story, but I wanted to focus on one aspect: evidence of Stone's unethical behavior and his resistance to change and growth in the neighborhood (that doesn't directly benefit him). Ald. Stone is corrupt, no question about it.

The Price of Suppression

One of the things that has emerged in this particular election is how divided the ward has become. It is clear that Ald. Stone has long neglected parts of the ward outside his base area of support. Religious figures talk about meeting Stone and "having to kiss his ring." I think they meant figuratively. There is a lot of resentment for how Stone treats people and how little he and his staff work to address the problems here.

For Stone's supporters, this has been eye-opening. It is easy to pin our suppressed resentment on the "outsiders" who have been hired or volunteered to come into the ward. While it may be no big deal for us to contribute or help Joe Leiberman or someone else who doesn't live in the 50th, it seems to be a much bigger deal that the people of Chicago (or surrounding areas) express an interest in the outcome of this election.

Alderman are not just ward managers but also city legislators. They influence city policy, and have a vote on the direction that the city of Chicago will take. It is no different than taking an interest in a Senate election in another state.

Berny Stone has tried to run this ward as a mob boss. Intimidation and derision have long been his weapons of choice. But the price to be paid is that people get tired of it. Something that may have worked in the 1970s or even 1990s doesn't seem that effective now. One reason is because of the internet, and how it has allowed us to voice our discontent.

There should be no doubt that there are people here who honestly and freely support Ald. Stone. There should also be no doubt that there are people here who don't. The price of suppression is that the latter fact is now becoming apparent to all. The bubble has burst. Stone may be much beloved by his core group of supporters. But that feeling is not universally shared. People are now free to voice their discontent. And they have.

On February 27th, we will be free to show how we really feel about Berny Stone.

Stuck in the Past

Ald. Stone is old. But he looks a lot older than he is. If you've seen Stone's recent "mailer," and I use that word loosely, since it was dropped by our house on Shabbat, or yesterday's appearance on channel 7, you've seen how bad Stone looks. He is so drawn, so poor looking that his false teeth stand out prominently.

Perhaps it is not only his health that is in doubt. His campaign seems to be based upon his accomplishments in the 1970s. Unlike Mayor Daley, who has lots of goals and things he wants to accomplish, Stone only voices interest in living longer. The 50th Ward? That may get his attention when he's awake. Longevity seems to require more naps. But Stone has a great scam going: he gets paid to nap! He even fenaggled a pay increase for napping. What a guy!

Stone says he's busier than ever. Busy doing nothing, it seems. All around the city, you see things getting better. Not in the 50th. The trash on the main streets is so obvious that even the most jaded person will notice. And you have to wonder how many city employees in the 50th take their cue from Berny and sleep on the job.

I wonder if he'll give them a pay raise for napping.

But Berny Stone isn't the only person who seems stuck in the past. Many of his supporters dwell there, too. This blog has become the focus of some of the most hateful, spitful Stone supporters. Their vitriol is not only extreme, it can have no other purpose than to intimidate. Speaking truth to power requires a vapid response, to Stone's way of thinking. Like Saddam, if you don't like him, then you are at least supposed to fear him.

But what can Stone and his supporters do? Humiliate us? Threaten us AGAIN?

Quite frankly, if you saw all the attempted postings I see you'd wonder why anyone wants to live here. One commenter even questioned that. I realize that most of the Stone commenters here are probably on his payroll (probably blogging from city equipment, as well), so they have much at stake. Ald. Stone is their meal ticket. If Stone is not re-elected, what will they do?

But that's not the point. The point is that my generation no longer harkens back to the World War Two era. Genocide and ethnic cleansing are repugnant, no matter who it effects. More to the point, Stone is so old and so tied to the non-Jewish establishment that he fails to notice when our community is under real threat. We can expect more neglect as he gets older.

This is not a man who takes care of his own. Berny Stone is someone who looks after himself. Period. If there were real anti-Semites in the area, Berny Stone will be the last to notice.

Until they come for him.

Stone's eagerness to play the anti-Semite card only tells us that he feels threatened. The problem is that he's cried wolf so often, and always around this time of the election cycle. I'm immune. The only anti-Semite out there is the one Ald. Stone has conjured up so that he can get his pay raise. The wolf may be at Stone's door, but it's the wolf of voter discontent, not the spector of anti-Semitism.

Berny Stone just can't tell the difference. Can you?