Six months ago the city set up a $12 million fund earmarked for compensation in cases of patronage-related job discrimination. Since then, 1,451 claims have come rolling in. No doubt at least a few of them are pretty unusual. But perhaps the most unusual comes from a guy you’ve read about here before: Jay Stone, hypnotherapist, political activist, and son of one of Mayor Daley’s closest City Council allies, longtime 50th Ward alderman Berny Stone.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The $12 million fund grew out of a lawsuit filed by Michael Shakman almost 40 years ago. In 1983 Mayor Harold Washington settled with him, agreeing to a court-monitored decree that prevents city officials from considering political influence in personnel decisions. Over the past several years Mayor Daley has been asking U.S. circuit court judge Wayne Andersen, who oversees the decree, to release the city from the order, arguing that his administration is capable of policing its own employment practices. But Daley’s stance lost a lot of credibility when his patronage chief, Robert Sorich, was indicted in 2005. Last year Sorich was convicted and sentenced to 46 months in prison for overseeing a patronage scam in which test scores and job interviews were rigged so applicants with political clout were given jobs, raises, and promotions over more qualified candidates. (He remains free on bail while he appeals.)
In March the city, under pressure from Andersen and Brennan, agreed to set up the compensation fund. Brennan, whose office was flooded with last-minute petitions, will adjudicate the claims and oversee payment. She’s already expressed doubt that $12 million will be enough.
According to his petition, filed September 21, just a week before the deadline, Matlak and Tomczak also used clout and intimidation to force city workers and public officials to work against him. He charges that local Park District and library officials wouldn’t let him rent rooms to hold meetings, that a city employee challenged his petitions to have him removed from the ballot, and that city workers tore down his signs. At one point, Stone says, he asked state rep John Fritchey for his support. “Initially, Representative Fritchey said he was willing to help me,” Stone writes in his complaint. “Several weeks later my father said that Fritchey was told to drop out of the race and not to help me.”
Fritchey’s irritated that he’s even mentioned in the complaint. “I never said I was going to support him,” says Fritchey. “After I met with him I thought Jay was a very nice guy, but a very nice guy doesn’t make for a very good candidate. I’m not trying to kick a guy when he’s down, but the vote totals showed that the constituents agreed.”
Apparently Senne saw opportunity in Matlak, who’s more accessible than he ever was as alderman. When I called his office, the receptionist immediately forwarded me to his cell. For all she knew, I was a big-time landlord looking to buy or sell.
For more on politics, see our blog Clout City at chicagoreader.com.
