Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Better than College Football: Gery Chico on Cable/Streaming

Gery Chico: Oh, I think a lot of what Don Tomczak was doing was on his own. Yes, I do.

Jeff Berkowitz: Daley, the sea of corruption all around him and he just doesn’t know anything? Here’s a guy who every little thing he notices [wrong] in the City- he tells somebody and he gets it right.

Gery Chico: I don’t think you can hold the Mayor responsible or accountable for ...
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This Week's suburban edition of "Public Affairs," airing in the Chicago metro suburbs, features Gery Chico, former Chief of Staff for Mayor Daley and former President of the Board of Education for the Chicago Public Schools, debating and discussing the issues with show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz. See, below, for the Public Affairs suburban airing schedule. You may also[Watch the show with Gery Chico here].
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Topics discussed in the Public Affairs show with guest Gery Chico include various approaches to dealing with illegal immigration, e.g., drones, biometric cards and paths to citizenship, whether a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants now in the country may attract another 25 million illegal immigrants in the next five years; U. S. foreign policy with South America; how successful Chicago Public School Reform has been, and whether school vouchers-school choice might improve education in Chicago; has Richard M. Daley been a good Mayor, did he know about the illegal behavior of his patronage chief, Robert Sorich and much, much more.
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Gery Chico will be the featured guest on the Monday, Dec. 25 [8:30 pm, Cable Ch. 21] City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs."
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The "Public Affairs," podcast page gives you a choice of more than twenty-five episodes of “Public Affairs," including our recent shows with Tonight's guest, Gery Chico, State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger [R-Elgin], Chicago Mayoral Candidate Dorothy Brown [D] and State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston], as well as interviews, discussions or remarks with or by U. S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giulianiand many, many more pols on our video podcast page[Watch here].
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Jeff Berkowitz: …the City of Chicago. Ready for Reform? You know the Mayor [Chico was Daley’s Chief of Staff from 1992-95 and appointed by him to be President of the Board of Education for the Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to 2001]. You would say he has done a good job-- for what? 17 years now as Mayor of the City of Chicago?

Gery Chico: Since 1989.

Berkowitz: 17 years. He has done a good job?

Gery Chico: Yes, a very good job.

Jeff Berkowitz: Robert Sorich, [Daley’s] patronage chief, convicted. Good job? That kind of corruption. Rigged tests. Rigged hiring.

Gery Chico: No, I don’t agree with those practices.

Jeff Berkowitz: The Mayor had to know. You know the Mayor. He had to know that was going on and he didn’t do anything, right?

Gery Chico: No, I don’t agree with that. Anymore than--

Jeff Berkowitz: How could he not know about the patronage chief—he put him there.

Gery Chico: Well, first of all, he didn’t put anybody particularly there at that level.

Jeff Berkowitz: Sorich—

Gery Chico: The Mayor, the Mayor’s job and what I saw the Mayor do and what I worked with the Mayor to do was establish a Cabinet. You appoint people to run departments. People who run departments are appointed directly by you and you more or less have daily or weekly contact with those folks. [There are] a lot of people below that- this is a 44,000 person government. You do not have contact with those people every day. And, it wouldn’t be shocking to me if he didn’t see them all year.

Jeff Berkowitz: …So, you are saying 44,000 employees?

Gery Chico: Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: He can’t know everything?

Gery Chico: He can’t.

Jeff Berkowitz: [But], this [Sorich] is somebody who used to drive John Daley to work, right? I mean he is a trusted person. It wasn’t his job to drive him, but this is not just a guy off the street. Sorich—What? Sorich would invent a patronage system that was abusive, that was rewarding people?

Gery Chico: Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute—

Jeff Berkowitz: He would invent something and reward people for political work, and [use that] for promotions and hiring, on his own? He wouldn’t do that as part of something that the Mayor was trying to do?

Gery Chico: Oh, patronage wasn’t his invention. Patronage goes back decades and decades.

Jeff Berkowitz: No, that’s a violation of the Shakman decree. You know that, right? He would be doing this on his own?

Gery Chico: What was done by those folks is a violation of the Shakman decree.

Jeff Berkowitz: Why would he go out and do it on his own? He would do it as part of an effort to elect people. Daley’s army. Cong. Rahm Emanuel got elected this way, didn’t he? [2002 Democratic Primary victory of Emanuel over Nancy Kaszak]. The [City’s] water department, Don Tomczak.

Gery Chico: Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: He [Tomczak] was doing it on his own, too. He’s a free lancer?

Gery Chico: Oh, I think a lot of what Don Tomczak was doing was on his own. Yes, I do.

Jeff Berkowitz: Daley, the sea of corruption all around him and he just doesn’t know anything? Here’s a guy who every little thing he notices [wrong] in the City- he tells somebody and he gets it right.

Gery Chico: I don’t think you can hold the Mayor responsible or accountable for a lot of the decisions made by his underlings.
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Gery Chico, as is airing this week on Public Affairs in 35 Chicago Metro suburbs [See below for the suburban airing schedule] and as will be airing on Monday, Dec. 25 [8:30 pm on Cable, CANTV] on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. The show was recorded on Dec. 10, 2007. You may also[Watch the Gery Chico program here].
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In twenty-five North Shore, North and Northwest suburbs, the "Public Affairs," show airs every Tuesday night in the regular weekly Public Affairs slot, 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 or 35, as indicated, below.

In ten North Shore suburbs, the Public Affairs show air three times each week in its regular slots at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as indicated, below.
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The suburban episode of Public Affairs airs every Tuesday night :

at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

And at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.

and every Monday night, Wednesday night and Friday night at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.

The City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," airs every Monday night at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV] throughout the City of Chicago.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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