Tim Novak and Chris Fusco of the Chicago Sun Times - real newsmen.
"I got a guy," is the Chicago Preamble . . .to everything. There is always 'a guy' who makes something happen for better or worse. If you have tree roots insinuating their arboreal fingers through your sewer pipes, someone will have ' a guy' once you utter the first syllables of your plaintiff cries of anguish - Kennedy Brothers Plumbing - their bona fides - Brother Rice guys, who roded out Mrs. Balauskas's pipes and never charged the octogenarian widow. Where they come from and past performance, plus the cache of your mentioning Bubbles Quinlan during your call to the Brothers Kennedy are what make them 'your guy,' now; much more than the actual plumbing job and subsequent billing.
Your guy has an ever expanding web of connection linking you and souls Six Degrees of Separation square rooted to the sum of length of service and geography.
The Chicago Preamble is math based. Tim Noval knows this. That is why he is the preeminent Chicago investigative reporter. He is a gum-shoe ink-slinger without parallel.
If you live in Chicago, you have a guy and that guy may have gone to school with you, dated your sister, played over cousin in the St. Rita v. Brother Rice Championship game of 1983, helped your mom on the Richard M. Daley for Cook County States Attorney Race up at Congressman Marty Russo's old office, bought World's Finest Chocolate bars from your kids, or helped you boost freight out of yards over by 49th Street & Kostner when you were on the shorts after two semesters at DePaul.
An incident, a favor, a phone call, or larcenous dabble on the edges of the law may link you and 'your guy.'
We are only as good, as what we do when no one is watching. You and your guy ( or person/woman/life-partner & etc.) might become public figures. It all depends.. . on lots of stuff.
Chicago knows the Vanecko name because of its association to Clan Daley. The nearer 'your guy' is power connects you to the juice - for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part. . . .and sometimes long after that.
Chicago knows the sad and tragic connection between the name Vanecko and Koschman only because Tim Novak and his teamwork with Chris Fusco is a pitbull who does not let go of a story found the Chicago Preamble working all over the city with investments, sewers and possibly . . .possibly . . .influence barter at all levels of city government.
Today, Tim Novak continues with a case involving several 'guys' - mutually attracted souls -and weapons violations.
Finkl is a member of the family that formerly owned A. Finkl & Sons Co., the Near North Side steel business founded in 1879, eight years after the Great Chicago Fire. The Finkls were major supporters of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, hosting political events for him at the steel plant where Blagojevich’s father once worked. The Finkls sold the steel company five years ago.Finkl, 49, is founder and chief executive officer of Finkl Enterprises, whose holdings included Jetty Security, Radar Pictures and several other businesses. Radar has helped finance movies for Radar Productions, which is headed by former Chicago Sun-Times owner Ted Field. Some of those movie deals involved Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, the nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley who late last year was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of David Koschman nearly nine years ago.Novak's prose morphs to poetry at line eight of the above: " . . .deals involved Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, the nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley who . . . "
See? Reporters with the honesty, skills and Chicago savvy are much more valuable than a stick-figure talisman of ethical purity like former US Mouthpiece Patrick Fitzgerald. What did the guy actually do about corruption besides net a few smelt, get a saliva soaking from Media types and land swell sinecures - The Big Apple -cheeked boy went the Chicago Way, God Bless him.
Tim Novak remains on the scent and given Chicago's intricate web of connections any one of us 2 million souls might have or strand of spider silk get a tug from Tim.
I only wish that Tim Novak could apply his tenacity and courage and skills to G. Flint Taylor, Jon Loevy Locke Bowman and Lawsuit Lotto Lawyer industry. Now, that is one smelly old bone that needs a good chaw.
