PRIVATIZATION

Is Privatization a Bad Deal for Cities and States?
To save money, New York is turning the clock back on outsourcing by replacing private contractors with city workers.

Outsourcing the Wrong Jobs
Updated April 4, 2011, 10:00 AM

John "Jack" Donahue, a former assistant secretary of labor, is the faculty chairman of Harvard University's Master in Public Policy program and the co-author of "Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals in Turbulent Times."

Some things government should do itself. Some things it should outsource. The rules for smart contracting aren’t mysterious. Tasks that are well-defined, easy to monitor and available from competitive suppliers — call them “commodity tasks” — are prime candidates for privatization. Tasks that are complex and mutable, lack clear benchmarks or are immune from competition — “custom tasks” — should be kept in-house.

Governments often perversely outsource jobs that are hard to monitor, yet keep "commodity" jobs like clerical work..
In a perfect world, governments would delegate all the commodity tasks and none of the custom tasks. In the real world, of course, we should expect some jobs to end up in the wrong box. But the pattern should trend to logical sorting, or at worst a random scatter.

In fact, we do lots worse. Much commodity work remains in government — half a million construction jobs, 600,000 food-service workers and more than 3.5 million routine administrative and clerical jobs. Meanwhile, many tasks are outsourced even though they’re hard to monitor, entangled with an agency's overall mission or sheltered from market pressure. Agencies hire private firms to build and run their information technology, manage their personnel systems and craft strategy.

Why this pattern? Blame generation-scale tectonic shifts that opened gaps between public and private work. In the private sector, but not in government, the ceiling has blown off the pay distribution, and the floor has dropped out. Less-skilled workers cling to the public jobs that still pay middle-class wages. More-skilled workers shun government for greener private pastures. The gap at the top starves government of custom-task talent, forcing ill-advised outsourcing. The gap at the bottom means that outsourcing commodity tasks meets ferocious resistance.

Campaigns are underway to drive compensation for less-skilled public workers down to private-sector levels. But narrowing the lower gap addresses just one cause of perverse privatization. And nobody is calling to fix the gap at the top.
LINK HERE

BOLD MOVE OR JUST A STUNT?

Former Alderman Martin Oberman and Roosevelt University's Paul Green on Shrinking City Council: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

ANY INTERESTING PICS?

DIVERSION PROGRAM

Chicago Planning 911 Diversion Program to Encourage Residents Not to Call 911 For Everything: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

Chicago Planning 911 Diversion Program to Encourage Residents Not to Call 911 For Everything

By Dane Placko, FOX Chicago News & Better Government Association

Chicago - For as long as Chicago has had 911, the goal has been to respond to each and every call. But the police, put simply, are overwhelmed.
For every 911 call that deals with a real emergency -- a fire, a shooting, an accident -- the city's Office of Emergency Management receives many more calls from people who need less immediate help for things like loud music, a stolen bicycle, or a drunk on the corner.
"We're still probably the only major city in the country that still responds to calls that other cities do not respond to," said OEMC Deputy Director Clarence Thomas.
In 2010, Chicago's 911 system received over five million calls, but the CPD is down more than 1,100 officers and something has got to give.
"We're not gonna get the additional ten thousand officers or one thousand police officers that everybody would like to have," said CPD Commander Jim Roussell. "So we have to be a little smarter about how we do it."
So to make for a smarter system, FOX Chicago News and the Better Government Association have learned the city has been quietly working on what it calls the "911 Diversion Program," a multi-faceted attempt to take a fresh look at how 911 works and which calls are responded to.
We learned of the 911 Diversion Program while reporting on the Central Austin Neighborhood Association, a group of West Side Austin residents who have been complaining about 911 response.
"We do believe there are certain neighborhoods that do get 100 percent response to all types of calls. And to not do that in this community is not right," said Ron Reid, who with his wife, Serethea, head up the Austin neighbors group. They want the proposed 911 Diversion Program to impact all neighborhoods equally and they're worried that if police don't respond to all quality of life calls, their neighborhood will suffer.
Police point out that they currently dispatch a squad car, often with two officers, to fill out reports for simple thefts and garage break-ins. Under the 911 Diversion Plan, Chicago residents would be encouraged to go online and fill out their own police reports. The program would also encourage citizens to find other ways to deal with quality of life issues, like a noisy bar. Rather than calling the cops, they'll be encouraged to call 311 for other city departments or work proactively with neighborhood groups and aldermen to find solutions.
"In order for it to work, everyone has to buy into the whole process of using 911 to deal with your real emergencies. A drunk in and of itself is not an emergency," Thomas said.
The 911 diversion program is still in the planning stages, there's no date set for a rollout, and it will undoubtedly face scrutiny from the City Council, since Aldermen have in the past put political pressure on the police department to respond to every call.
And there's still the issue of measuring 911 response; the city has refused our Freedom Of Information Act requests for response times.
"If we don't have comparative figures on the 911 response times neighborhood to neighborhood, how can we figure out which neighborhoods need more cops and which need less?" said Andy Shaw, executive director of the BGA. "It's not just about crime statistics. Crime stats are one barometer for the amount of manpower you need. But so is response time to 911. Every neighborhood in Chicago deserves a roughly equal 911 response time."
The city has argued that releasing 911 response times would be like giving the bad guys a map on where to commit crimes.

RESPONSE TIMES

Activists in Austin Neighborhood Fight to Get Police 911 Response Times: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

Activists in Austin Neighborhood Fight to Get Police 911 Response Times

Better Government Association joint investigation

By Dane Placko, FOX Chicago News

Chicago - When you call 911, you hope the police will respond in a matter of minutes.
But some residents of Chicago's West Side Austin neighborhood just hope they'll see a police car at all.
Ron and Serethea Reid have become so alarmed by slow and non-existent 911 response, they've formed a community organization to make their voices heard. They said if it's a shooting or major emergency, the police will get there-- sometimes quite quickly. But it's a different story, they said, for quality of life issues like drug sales, public drinking and fights.
"There's been far too many instances where there's been no response at all," said Serethea Reid.
Ald. Deborah Graham (29th), whose office is in the Austin police district, said even she had to wait when she called 911 because an upset young man was in the office.
The police department took their time coming, at least it felt that way," Graham said.
Since sounding the alarm last summer, the Central Austin Neighborhood Association has met several times with high ranking police officials and Chicago's Office of Emergency Management (OEMC). But when they ask for specific information about 911 response times in their neighborhood, they're told again and again they can't have those numbers because the city doesn't want the bad guys to know where response is slow.
"If we start making public response times, we're creating a situation that could be an advantage to someone other than these good citizens," said OEMC Deputy Director Clarence Thomas.
We got the same answer when we tried digging into last summer's fatal shooting of nine-year-old Tanaja Stokes. She and her seven-year-old cousin were jumping rope in the Roseland neighborhood when a crowd of gangbangers began shouting at one another. A neighbor who does not want to be identified called 911, but said it took police more than 15 minutes to respond. By then, Tanaja had been caught in gang crossfire.
"If (the police) would've come when I called... those boys would have seen the police and they probably would have kept going," said the neighbor.
We wanted to know whether that call got the same attention as other 911 calls throughout the city. But the OEMC has refused all our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for 911 response times for each police district.
"This is a work in progress, and it's a work in progress in partnership with the citizens of the community," Chicago Police Commander Jim Roussel said. "So all the questions that are being raised are great questions and we need to have honest, forthright conversations about it."

ANY THOUGHTS ON THE TOWN HALL MEETING?

REAL 911 CALLS

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency? Caller: I heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the brown house on the corner. Dispatcher: Do you have an address? Caller: No, I have on a blouse and slacks, why?
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency? Caller: Someone broke into my house and took a bite out of my ham and cheese sandwich . Dispatcher: Excuse me? Caller: I made a ham and cheese sandwich and left it on the kitchen table and when I came back from the bathroom, someone had taken a bite out of it. Dispatcher: Was anything else taken? Caller: No, but this has happened to me before and I’m sick and tired of it!

Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is the nature of your emergency? Caller: I’m trying to reach nine eleven but my phone doesn’t have an eleven on it. Dispatcher: This is nine eleven. Caller: I thought you just said it was nine-one-one Dispatcher: Yes, ma’am nine-one-one and nine-eleven are the same thing. Caller: Honey, I may be old, but I’m not stupid.

My Personal Favorite!!! Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What’s the nature of your emergency? Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart Dispatcher: Is this her first child? Caller: No, you idiot! This is her husband!

And the winner is……….
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 Caller: Yeah, I’m having trouble breathing. I’m all out of breath. Darn….I think I’m going to pass out. Dispatcher: Sir, where are you calling from? Caller: I’m at a pay phone. North and Foster. Dispatcher: ! Sir, an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic? Caller: No Dispatcher: What were you doing before you started having trouble breathing? Caller: Running from the Police.

GOOD ARTICLE

The One-Man Political Machine

Very well written, informative article. Why can't the local papers have stories like this?

COOL

LET IT SNOW!

 
It's gonna be a busy night. And then there's the ride home...
Stay safe everyone.

COURT REMOVES RAHM FROM BALLOT

CHICAGO – An Illinois Appeals Court ruled Monday that former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's name can't appear on the ballot for Chicago mayor because he didn't live in the city in the year before the election.

The court threw Emanuel's candidacy into doubt a month before the race when it voted 2-1 to overturn a judge's ruling to keep his name on the Feb. 22 ballot. Emanuel had been considered the front runner and had raised more money than any of the other candidates running.
Those challenging Emanuel's candidacy have argued that the Democrat doesn't meet the one-year residency requirement because he rented out his Chicago home and moved his family to Washington to work for President Barack Obama for nearly two years.
Emanuel has said he always intended to return to Chicago and was only living in Washington at the request of the president.
"We conclude that the candidate neither meets the municipal code's requirement that he have resided in Chicago for the year preceding the election in which he seeks to participate nor falls within any exception to the requirement," the appeals court said in its ruling. One judge dissented, saying Emanuel should be on the ballot.
There was no immediate response from Emanuel on Monday. The appellate court's ruling is not the final step in the process and its decision can be appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court.
Emanuel is one of several candidates vying to replace Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who didn't seek a seventh term. Emanuel moved back to Chicago in October after he quit working for Obama to campaign full-time.
Before Monday's ruling, attorney Burt Odelson, who represents two voters objecting to Emanuel's candidacy, had little luck trying to keep Emanuel off the ballot. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and a Cook County judge have both ruled in favor of Emanuel, a former congressman, saying he didn't abandon his Chicago residency when he went to work at the White House.
Odelson had said he planned to take the challenge all the way to the state Supreme Court, if necessary.
"I won," Odelson said.

This town is nuts. All the viable candidates were bought off or forced out to make room for Rahm. Now we're left with fringe candidates who were pulling down single figures in the polls. What a joke. The rest of the country must be laughing their asses off.

AR IS OUT

He has resigned his post as Information Systems Director. Must be more to it than that. I suspect the rest of the vestiges from the JA era can't be far behind.

BEARS WIN!!!!

Packers-Bears in Soldier Field for the NFC Championship game. Wouldn't have it any other way.

FIREFIGHTER DIES

Chicago firefighter dies after found unresponsive at firehouse

A 51-year-old veteran Chicago firefighter died of apparent natural causes after being found unresponsive at his firehouse quarters on the South Side Saturday morning.

Lt. Patrick Hannon was given Advanced Life Support care and was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center where he died, according to Fire Media Affairs Dir. Larry Langford. He was on-duty and was found unresponsive in his firehouse quarters Saturday morning.
Hannon was pronounced dead at the hospital at 7:25 a.m. after being found unresponsive at 2534 S. Throop St., the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said. He died of apparent natural causes.
Hannon worked for Truck 8 in the South Side Bridgeport neighborhood, Langford said. He joined the Chicago Fire Dept. in December 1988 and turned 51 last month. He is married and has two children, Langford said. His wife is a firefighter paramedic within the department.
“Fire Commission Robert Hoff and the command staff, as well as rank and file of the Chicago Fire Dept. express our sorrow at this loss of one of our own,” Langford said.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

POLICE FATALITIES UP 37 PERCENT NATIONWIDE

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press

ATLANTA – Two officers in a remote Alaska town were ambushed as they chatted on a street. A California officer and deputy were killed by an arson suspect with a high-powered rifle as they tried to serve a warrant. Two other officers doing anti-drug work were gunned down by men along a busy Arkansas highway.
These so-called cluster killings of more than one officer helped make 2010 a particularly deadly year for law enforcement. Deaths in the line of duty jumped 37 percent to about 160 from 117 the year before, according to numbers as of Tuesday compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a nonprofit that tracks police deaths.
There also was a spike in shooting deaths. Fifty-nine federal, state and local officers were killed by gunfire in 2010, a 20 percent jump from last year's figures, when 49 were killed. The total does not include the death of a Georgia State Patrol trooper shot twice in the face Monday night in Atlanta as he tried to make a traffic stop.
And 73 officers died in traffic incidents, a rise from the 51 killed in 2009, according to the data.
Craig Floyd, director of the Washington-based fund, said the rise in fatalities could be an aftershock of the nation's economic troubles as officers in some communities cope with slashed budgets.
"We're asking our officers to do more with less. We're asking them to fight conventional crime, and we're asking them to serve on the front lines in the war against terror," he said.
Last year's toll of 117 officers killed was a 50-year low that encouraged police groups. But this year's total is more the norm than an anomaly: The number of police deaths has topped 160 five times since 2000, including 240 in 2001. The annual toll routinely topped 200 in the 1970s and before that in the 1920s.
The deaths were spread across more than 30 states and Puerto Rico — with the most killings reported in Texas, California, Illinois, Florida and Georgia. The two law enforcement agencies with the most deaths were the California Highway Patrol and the Chicago Police Department, each with five.
Ten of the shooting deaths came from five tragedies in which several officers were shot and killed in groups.
The cluster shootings started in February, when authorities say a Fresno County, Calif. deputy was shot by an arson suspect who had vowed to kill investigators and himself rather than go to prison. The killing led to a daylong gunbattle during which a police officer was also shot and killed. The gunman later killed himself.
In March, San Juan authorities say two park rangers serving as guards at Puerto Rico's Department of Natural Resources were gunned down by invaders who jumped a fence during an attempted robbery.
Two West Memphis police officers doing anti-drug work in May were shot to death by two men wielding AK-47s along an Arkansas interstate. The suspects were later killed in a shootout that injured the local sheriff and a deputy at a crowded Walmart parking lot.
In June, authorities say a man wanted for writing a bad check shot and killed two Tampa, Fla., police officers after he was pulled over at 2:15 a.m. And in August, a man was charged with killing two officers chatting in front of his home in the tiny Alaska village of Hoonah.
Maria Haberfeld, a professor of police science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the rise of community-oriented policing over the last few decades has also had the unintended consequence of lessening the public's respect for officers.
"It's a cascading effect of the people thinking police are here to serve and protect them on an individual basis" instead of acting as an arm of the government, she said. "We spend hours teaching children about Shakespeare and history, but we don't devote even an hour a week to the role of police in creating the world in which we live."
The uptick in traffic deaths also troubled analysts.
The research didn't reveal what led to many of the traffic deaths, partly because local departments often don't keep complete records those fatalities, said Floyd. But he said it suggests that more research is needed to investigate possible driver fatigue and distracted driving.
"We're asking citizens not to talk and text on their cell phones, but we're providing officers with laptop computers and cell phones and radios," he said. "That means taking their attention from the road. Are we putting too many distractions in police vehicles?"

It's like that fireman who was killed said. He left the police department because people no longer respect the police. With fewer police to back each other up, the punks are emboldened. They fight back. They are not taught to respect anything at home so why should they respect anything on the street. We need to have more police to combat these vermin. They need to be taught respect.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

TWO FIREFIGHTERS KILLED

 

Two firefighters died after a wall collapsed during a 3-11 alarm fire at an abandoned South Side commercial building this morning, authorities said. Fourteen other firefighters were injured, including two who were trapped with the ones who died.
Police squad cars escorted two ambulances north on Lake Shore Drive to Northwestern as ramps were closed to clear it of traffic, according to fire communications. One of the firefighters taken there has died, sources said. The condition of the other one was not known.
A third trapped firefighter, later identified as Corey Ankum, who had been with the department only 16 months, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died.
Late this morning, dozens of firefighters stood at attention, removing their caps and saluting, as Ankum's body was taken from the hospital and put in an ambulance. A police escort led the ambulance to the medical examiner's office.
A similar procession with a dozen department vehicles left Northwestern shortly after noon with the body of the firefighter who died there.
The fourth firefighter buried in the rubble, and as many as 12 other firefighters with undisclosed injuries, were also taken to hospitals. Fire officials and sources said 10 were stable and six were taken to hospitals in serious to critical condition, including the two who later died.
Four of the firefighters were taken to University of Chicago Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition and were expected to be released later today, said hospital spokesman John Easton.
The firefighters' deaths came on the 100th anniversary of a huge fire at the Union Stockyards that claimed the life of 21 Chicago firefighters, the single greatest loss in U.S. history of professional big-city firefighters until Sept. 11, 2001.
A dozen or fewer firefighters were in the building when the roof above them collapsed, said Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. Firefighters searched through rubble for more than an hour as four trapped firefighters were pulled out and rushed to hospitals.
"They worked hard, got them out fast," said Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff at the scene.
He said the search was continued, with dozens of firefighters digging through rubble, because of the possibility that homeless people may have been in the building seeking shelter from the cold. Neighbors reported that squatters have been staying in the building, but no others were found in the rubble.
Firefighters -- their faces and uniforms covered in soot -- shook their heads as they embraced one another after the search was called off.
At Northwestern, about half a dozen police cars and several fire vehicles were parked in front of the emergency room. Truck 122 pulled up and three firefighters walked in, including a lieutenant. One firefighter from Truck 122 was on a cell phone and wiped away tears with his jacket.
Robert Smart, owner of the Smart Bros. Car Wash and Detailing next door to the burned building, said he arrived at his business at 7 a.m. to find the block swarming with firefighters.
He saw two people being brought out on stretchers, followed by two firefighters. He got a good look at one fireman. "He looked pretty bad," said Smart, adding the firefighter did not appear conscious.
Rescuers appeared to be trying to revive the injured firefighter in the middle of the street as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
Jorico Smart, who with his father Robert have owned the car wash for 16 years, said he has called police at least a dozen times in recent years to report people trespassing in the abandoned building next door.
Smart characterized the trespassers as squatters. Last month, Smart's brother called police to report a break-in.
Chuck Dai, who co-owns the building with a younger brother, said he has been struggling to keep squatters from entering ever since his laundry business at the site failed about six years ago and he stopped paying property taxes on the site.
"It's been a tiresome battle just to keep it buttoned up and everything," said Dai, 61, speaking from another laundromat he owns nearby.
Though the property has been boarded up several times, he said, "somehow they managed to break in."
Dai said he had no idea how the fire started. He learned about the dramatic rescue attempt and the death of two city firefighters while watching the morning news in horror, he said.
"I'm pretty down right now," Dai said, his voice growing hoarse with emotion. "I'm at a loss for words about the whole situation. I feel bad about the firemen getting hurt."
The fire broke out about 6:54 a.m. in the abandoned one-story brick building in the 1700 block of East 75th Street.
The fire was raised to two and then three alarms to save the trapped firefighters. A "mayday" was called. Firefighters also reported having problems with frozen hydrants.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.

BOGUS CALL

Man accused of making bogus 911 call for faster police response

A 57-year-old man called 911 this morning and told them a police officer was hurt to make Chicago police respond quicker to some sort of disturbance at his South Side home, authorities alleged.
The man, Tommy Boston, will have his day in court at 9 a.m. Jan. 27 after he was arrested for allegedly calling in the bogus report.
Boston, of the 700 block of East 92nd Place, was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct/filing a false police report.
Police said Boston called 911 about 6:25 a.m.and told a dispatcher that an officer was down. When police arrived, they discovered no officers were injured at the location.

They should increase the penalty for these calls. A misdemeanor will not stop these clowns. Make him shovel his snow. He'd never do it again.

CABRINI GREEN

Good riddance. The buildings may be gone but the problems remain. They're just more spread out.

CARPET WAREHOUSE FIRE

IMPRESSIVE WIN

I have to admit I didn't think the Bears could win this week. They seem to have improved their offensive line enough to get the job done. With a performance like that against a blitz crazy team like Philadelphia and the awesome play of the defense, it might be time to start looking forward to another Superbowl run. The game against New England in two weeks will be another big test. We'll have to get through Detroit next though. Still it could be time to get excited about the Monsters of the Midway again.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

EMANUEL

Emanuel formally announces run for Chicago mayor

By DON BABWIN, Associated Press

CHICAGO – Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel officially announced his candidacy for mayor of Chicago Saturday, promising to fight any tax increase for city residents.
"We cannot ask taxpayers for more when families are struggling to stay afloat in this economy," he told supporters packing an elementary school auditorium on the city's North Side. "We cannot price Chicagoans out of their homes, their schools and their communities."...
"We cannot keep putting off hard choices and hoping things will get better, while drawing down each year on rapidly diminishing reserves."

You know what that means. If he wins, the front line city workers are in trouble. Politically he cannot cut services. He needs to go after personnel costs. 80% of those expenses are for police and fire. Another political hot potato. That leaves the 20% of us who have already taken furlough days and no pay for overtime. We're an easy target. My guess is lots of privatization. Of course this won't really save the city any money. But it's easier to hide the costs. And the kickbacks are tremendous. Then there's the pension. Don't plan on getting anything more than you would have gotten if you were eligible for social security. He has connections all the way up to the White House. He can get the laws changed and interpreted any way he likes. The shortfall is $600 million. We need new revenue. But they won't admit that until they are in such a deep hole there's no way out. In the meantime the city workers will pay for all the corruption, mismanagement and other sins of our politicians. And no city employee will be immune from the dismantling of our hard fought pensions.

OPEN POST