That's Boss Shakman! Right there in the Middle! Boss Shakman!
In fact, the revolving door of employees has picked up speed in the wake of Stroger losing the February primary, according to a report issued Tuesday by Mary Robinson, the Shakman compliance administrator charged with ensuring the county adheres to a federal court-ordered ban on political hiring.
Todd Stroger is where he is today thanks to more than forty years of Shakman! In fact, young Todd is a Shakman Baby - born of the death of the vile but effective Cook County Machine!
Wait a minute, hold the phone - Shakman Monitor's have been on the case saving all of us from poiltical crooks, cut-purses and ne'er-do-wells!
Really, Murial?
Shakman, Michael Shakman, the Cook County Michael Shakman Decree, like Andy Shaw on the case for the BGA, is the best bet for tax-payers to not get good government and have their wallets lifted.
Michael Shakman was running to join the Illinois Constitutional Convention, CON-CON - Dig this from Chicago Encyclopedia - afixed bag of special interests re-telling history. Fixed you say? Yes, read on!
Shakman Decrees
In 1969, one man made his stand against the Chicago political machine. Michael Shakman, an independent candidate for delegate to the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention, battled against one of the most enduring traditions in Chicago's politics: political patronage, or the practice of hiring and firing government workers on the basis of political loyalty. With many behind-the-scenes supporters, Shakman's years of determination resulted in what became known as the “Shakman decrees.”
Shakman filed suit against the Democratic Organization of Cook County, arguing that the patronage system put nonorganized candidates and their supporters at an illegal and unconstitutional disadvantage. Politicians could hire, fire, promote, transfer—in essence, punish—employees for not supporting the system, or more particularly, a certain politician. The suit also argued that political patronage wasted taxpayer money because public employees, while at work, would often be forced to campaign for political candidates.
In 1972, after an exhaustive court procedure and much negotiating, the parties reached an agreement prohibiting politically motivated firings, demotions, transfers, or other punishment of government employees. A 1979 ruling led to a court order in 1983 that made it unlawful to take any political factor into account in hiring public employees (with exceptions for positions such as policy making). Those decisions along with companion consent judgments—collectively called the Shakman decrees—are binding on more than 40 city and statewide offices.
Roger R. Fross
Now that's historical, Roger - you were co-counsel on the Shakman case and yet you do the that patented Movie Preview "ONE MAN" in your opening sentence! Que Hombre!
More than One Man, Rog - as you make two and two makes a . . .conspiracy? No, an enterprise.
Roger Fross has extensive experience handling mergers and acquisitions, financings, business successions, and general corporate matters for privately-held firms, not-for-profits and high net-worth owners.
He approaches estate planning from a business planning perspective whether it is dealing with the personal and generational issues of business succession or the dollars and cents’ objectives of minimizing wealth transfers.
Mr. Fross’ clients cut across many segments of American industry and are geographically dispersed throughout the United States. He has worked with numerous individuals and companies on their capital-raising, disclosure, compliance, and securities matters. Much of Mr. Fross’ work has addressed the day-to-day concerns of corporate ownership, such as customer, supplier, and distributor arrangements; key employee contractual and compensation matters; licensing of property rights; joint ventures and ownership succession and wealth-transfer strategies for privately owned businesses.
His experience also includes representing marine transportation companies in financing and operating matters, insurance companies in capital-raising transactions, and community banks with acquisition, regulatory, and Community Reinvestment Act problems. He has also been active in the demutualization of insurance companies and representation of nonprofit organizations.
Mr. Fross serves on many boards of directors and committees, including The Joyce Foundation, the Chicago Metro History Fair, and the Southeast Chicago Commission. In addition, for more than 30 years, Mr. Fross has participated with co-counsel in the landmark anti-patronage case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Shakman v. Democratic Party, et al. He is listed in Who’s Who in America.
Mr. Fross served as managing partner of the Firm from 1981 to 1987, and has served four terms on the firm’s executive committee.
Education
J.D., University of Chicago Law School, 1965
B.A., Mathematics and Physics, De Pauw University, 1962
Gold Key, Rector Scholar
Talk about cozy insidered, Roger and Michael. You boys must have known one another and that's Anti-Shakman . . .well, now.
The Shakman Decree ham-strings good government services and opens the public troughs to real cretins, feebs, dummies and crooks.
Here's the deal -
1.Good people can not be hired to serve Cook County and Chicago government if they are in any way related, familiar with, hold a nodding acquaintance or brushed up against the hiring boss at church, thanks to Michael Shakman.
Shakman is a straw dog. It is a phony dodge that kills political organization and the precinct and Ward levels.
The intent of Shakman was the goof could not get himself elected to CON_CON in 1969 and was percieved by the outsiders who wanted to get inside as a means of power.
Take it to the streets? Hell, no take it to a Judge. Courts gave us Shakman - not a vote.
Our Shakman monitors help the Chicago Media tell us who received . . .gasp! . . .Overtime! Everytime stories appear about how much some poor slob is paid and who put in a seventy-hour week and finds that he is portrayed as Todd Stroger's boot-black, you can bet that Shakman Industries - Monitors, Goo-Goo Clusternuts, Media darlings and sharp University of Chicago trained activist lawyers are amassing more power to prevent good government services.
My precinct captain, my Ward Committeeman knows my neighbors and their needs. Michael Shakman? Noelle Brennan? Roger Fross? I don't think so.
Instead Shakman Industres has become the clearing house -paid mightily don't you know-for political hiring and outsources to Public service unions (SEIU & etc.).
Ain't that nice! Oh, Tut! They'll protest - "we only monitor!" Now, I know that common sense is a stretch, but let's try this.
Look Goo-Goos -People who worked more hours than they are normally asked to work get OVERTIME! News Flash?
If a Metra cop is told that due to cut-backs, he must work more hours -OVERTIME
If a Streets and Santitation Snow Plow Driver is told by Tom Skilling that a blizzard will last 48 hours -OVERTIME!
Who hired the Shakman Monitors? Who's their clout? Why can't my alcoholic, half-wit, and larcenous pals get jobs with Shakman?
Why is the Shakman Machine doing all the hiring? Who pays Shakman? I do.
But after five years under the shackles of a federal hiring monitor, aldermen said Thursday they no longer have a dog in this fight.Sun Times, June 24, 2010.
“We can't touch hiring. [Daley] can't touch hiring. [Monitor] Noelle Brennan does the hiring, so what do we care?” said Ald. Tom Allen (38th).
Shakman Decrees and all of their nepotism and in-bred pay-to-play looters of the tax-payers need to go!
Click my post title and monitor YOUR Cook County Shakman Monitors!!!
