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Arena The Union Puppet
What They Gave Him: Union Contributions to the Arena Campaign During the aldermanic campaign UNITE HERE 1 labor union along with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Chicago Federation of Labor, contributed nearly $700,000 in direct mail campaign literature and television advertising over the course of the 45 days. This was an unprecedented amount to give to any one candidate. An amount which was virtually unmatched in any other race. In total, Arena raised and spent more than $649,560 over the course of the primary but most of this occurred during the aldermanic run-off and nearly all of it was tied to these unions. According to a combination of campaign filings with the Illinois Board of Elections and some official estimates from political pundits, nearly 90% of the money Arena managed to raise came from the following sources: Service Employees International Union (SEIU), UNITE HERE 1 and The Chicago Federation of Labor. Of the above unions, when accounting for indirect spending on Arena's behalf for direct mail literature, lying about his opponent in the run-off, to a barrage of television commercials, singing the false praises of John Arena, successful small business man and community leader, totaled about $586,000. So what did the unions receive in exchange for this war chest of political spending? What It Bought Them: The Union Puppet And so it goes. Tens of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions, hundreds of thousands of dollars dedicated to a direct mail and television smear campaign against his opponents, John Arena has truly been a very fortunate beneficiary of union support. But as in most things, nothing is for free. Despite his obligations to his constituents, Arena's larger, more pressing concerns seem to lie in paying back his benefactors for the enormous contributions they made to his campaign. |
Alderman John Arena has accepted substantial amounts of campaign funds as well as indirect contributions from the unions to engage in dirty politics and a festival of lies on television and in mailers against run-off opponent John Garrido
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Table 1: Arena Contributions From UNITE HERE 1
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The O'Hare Concession Vote: The Launching Pad For Arena's Pay-To-Play Scheme
Based on how things are going so far, the trail of cash for favors seems to be stacking up rather quickly starting with the vote on concession contracts at O'Hare Airport, shortly after being sworn in. Mayor Emanuel had wanted the contracts changed because Chicago Aviation Partners over the previous 18 years had failed to attract quality vendors. These contracts, which were being operated on a month-to-month basis, had been costing taxpayers millions each year in lost revenue. Unite Here Local 1 vehemently opposed the change in operators as it represents 1,100 cook, servers, bartenders and coffee stand workers at O'Hare Airport, claiming potential job losses; the typical labor union mantra. The new operator, Westfield, a global firm which successfully operates concessions, retail and shopping malls throughout the United States has an excellent track record and the experience to vastly improve the operations through effective cost management and selecting high quality vendors. |
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Enter Pay-To-Play at it's finest. The chart above details the donations to Arena from Unite Here Local 1 totaling over $17,000 during the campaign only a month earlier. This of course is not to mention the in-kind television and mail campaign worth well over $100,000 which Unite Here Local 1 financed in favor of Arena, which it used to smear his opponent with lies during the run-off.
John Arena claims he voted against the ratification citing that he had not had enough time to review them. This was his excuse. This is typically his excuse for making difficult decisions, claiming they are complicated and needed to be studied further. These contracts had been provided in plenty of time to review the financial projections. The contracts were provided to the city council several days in advance of the vote to endorse. In an article in the Chicago Tribune alderman Joe Moore commented "All of the documents that I needed to make a decision were provided. "All of my questions were answered,". The contract was ratified by the city council with Arena together with his minion Scott Waguesback, 32nd and another alderman, Ricardo Munoz, 22nd, voting against. Arena's opposition to Westfield, a large national firm and his later support for a "Living Wage" to be paid for those same workers is further evidence of his historically radical anti-business world view. Arena stood against the principal of protecting taxpayers from huge losses in favor of patronage to his union masters who had contributed so much to his campaign and in essence buying him the aldermanic seat.
John Arena claims he voted against the ratification citing that he had not had enough time to review them. This was his excuse. This is typically his excuse for making difficult decisions, claiming they are complicated and needed to be studied further. These contracts had been provided in plenty of time to review the financial projections. The contracts were provided to the city council several days in advance of the vote to endorse. In an article in the Chicago Tribune alderman Joe Moore commented "All of the documents that I needed to make a decision were provided. "All of my questions were answered,". The contract was ratified by the city council with Arena together with his minion Scott Waguesback, 32nd and another alderman, Ricardo Munoz, 22nd, voting against. Arena's opposition to Westfield, a large national firm and his later support for a "Living Wage" to be paid for those same workers is further evidence of his historically radical anti-business world view. Arena stood against the principal of protecting taxpayers from huge losses in favor of patronage to his union masters who had contributed so much to his campaign and in essence buying him the aldermanic seat.
The O'Hare Janitorial Contract
Then of course there are the most recent contract issues at O'Hare Airport. Below is an excerpt from an article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
SEIU and Chicago Alderman Want Mayor Emanuel to Void O'Hare Janitorial Contract
January 17, 2013
Chicago Sun-Times reporter Dan Mihalopoulos reported that 5 Chicago aldermen had asked Chicago Inspector General Joseph Fergeson to investigate a $95.4Million dollar cleaning deal at O'Hare during the same time that the president of the SEIU Local 1, Tom Balanoff held a news conference from Rahm Emanuel's office asking the mayor to void the contract because the company had changed hands prior to the contract being executed, violating the city's procurement rules. The city council members who signed the letter were Roderick Sawyer (6th), Ricardo Munoz (22nd) who received $74,000 from the SEIU, Scott Waguespack (32nd) who had received $50,000 and Nicholas Sposato (36th) and last but not least John Arena (45th) who has received in excess of $100,000 in both direct and indirect campaign contributions and benefits from the union.
It's very clear that John Arena has been bought and paid for by the radical labor unions and the residents of the 45th Ward continue to suffer from a lack of progress, increasing crime and blight while their alderman continues to feather his political nest. This is Pay-To-Play politics in the worst way possible. It is disgusting to watch but like a car accident we just can't seem to turn our heads away from, we will keep watching. There is no doubt there will be more to come.
Then of course there are the most recent contract issues at O'Hare Airport. Below is an excerpt from an article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
SEIU and Chicago Alderman Want Mayor Emanuel to Void O'Hare Janitorial Contract
January 17, 2013
Chicago Sun-Times reporter Dan Mihalopoulos reported that 5 Chicago aldermen had asked Chicago Inspector General Joseph Fergeson to investigate a $95.4Million dollar cleaning deal at O'Hare during the same time that the president of the SEIU Local 1, Tom Balanoff held a news conference from Rahm Emanuel's office asking the mayor to void the contract because the company had changed hands prior to the contract being executed, violating the city's procurement rules. The city council members who signed the letter were Roderick Sawyer (6th), Ricardo Munoz (22nd) who received $74,000 from the SEIU, Scott Waguespack (32nd) who had received $50,000 and Nicholas Sposato (36th) and last but not least John Arena (45th) who has received in excess of $100,000 in both direct and indirect campaign contributions and benefits from the union.
It's very clear that John Arena has been bought and paid for by the radical labor unions and the residents of the 45th Ward continue to suffer from a lack of progress, increasing crime and blight while their alderman continues to feather his political nest. This is Pay-To-Play politics in the worst way possible. It is disgusting to watch but like a car accident we just can't seem to turn our heads away from, we will keep watching. There is no doubt there will be more to come.
Chicago Taxi Dispatchers Get Their Payback: Arena Votes Against Increased Accountability, Safety Measures For Chicago Taxis
Alderman John Arena is certainly wasting no time towing the line of his union puppet masters. Arena, who received the endorsement of the Chicago Taxi Dispatchers during the election primary in 2011, voted against a city council measure which would have increased fines for taxi companies who fail to keep accurate records of how long their drivers have been out on the road per shift. The changes would also increase non-compliance fines from the current $1,000 to $5,000 per offense. These new regulations would also require regular monitoring of taxi driver license records to flag dangerous drivers. These reforms were prompted by a Chicago Tribune investigation; Ironically, the same Tribune which was hoodwinked by Arena's lies about his background and record, granting their endorsement of his candidacy.
A study by the Chicago Department of Transportation counted 3,100 pedestrians seriously injured or killed in Chicago's loop or it's Northwest side where Arena's Ward is located. And of that number, 28% involved taxis. Jennifer Lipford of the city of Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection was quoted as saying "Research clearly demonstrates that accidents increase dramatically after 12 hours on the road" George Lutfallah, publisher of the same Chicago Dispatcher which endorsed Arena, calls the new rules "meaningless". So Arena once again places safety of the public and their interests second to his own and that of his special interest task masters.
Alderman John Arena is certainly wasting no time towing the line of his union puppet masters. Arena, who received the endorsement of the Chicago Taxi Dispatchers during the election primary in 2011, voted against a city council measure which would have increased fines for taxi companies who fail to keep accurate records of how long their drivers have been out on the road per shift. The changes would also increase non-compliance fines from the current $1,000 to $5,000 per offense. These new regulations would also require regular monitoring of taxi driver license records to flag dangerous drivers. These reforms were prompted by a Chicago Tribune investigation; Ironically, the same Tribune which was hoodwinked by Arena's lies about his background and record, granting their endorsement of his candidacy.
A study by the Chicago Department of Transportation counted 3,100 pedestrians seriously injured or killed in Chicago's loop or it's Northwest side where Arena's Ward is located. And of that number, 28% involved taxis. Jennifer Lipford of the city of Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection was quoted as saying "Research clearly demonstrates that accidents increase dramatically after 12 hours on the road" George Lutfallah, publisher of the same Chicago Dispatcher which endorsed Arena, calls the new rules "meaningless". So Arena once again places safety of the public and their interests second to his own and that of his special interest task masters.
Last year in Chicago, over 800 pedestrians were seriously injured or killed by incidents with taxis in the Loop or on the Northwest side where Arena's Ward is located
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Arena received the endorsement of the Chicago Taxi Dispatchers along with a $1,000 donation and thanked them recently by voting against safety reforms and increased accountability for taxi companies. Apparently, with John Arena, it pays to invest.
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