You know it's gonna be good when a press release arrives via e-mail from "theratbastard@whitetrashdemocrat.com". Here 'tis:

PRESS RELEASE

THREE ALDERMANIC CANDIDATES OPPOSE TRANSITION TO PATRONAGE SYSTEM FOR NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION OFFICES
For Immediate Release March 1, 2005
Contact:
Rodney Burchfield: (314) 265-0934 Jeffrey Hardin: (314) 389-6434, Steve Patterson: (314) 479-5023
Aldermanic candidates Jeffrey Hardin (3rd Ward), Rodney Burchfield (17th Ward) and Steve Patterson (25th Ward) will hold an 11AM press conference at City Hall. The purpose of the press conference is to announce their opposition to Alderman Joe Roddy’s plan to convert the 25 Neighborhood Stabilization Offices into political Patronage positions. These are currently civil service jobs, which are protected by law from outside political pressure. If Patronage is used in the NSO, the people who work hard to improve their neighborhoods will have all their legal protections taken away from them. It will politicize the offices, and by doing so it will sabotage a successful program. It’s like reviving Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall, which controlled New York City and was rife with corruption for decades. History has proven that patronage jobs are a recipe for corruption, and Alderman Joe Roddy wants to revive this practice. This is inherently wrong.
The Aldermanic candidates have come together to oppose this plan because it will destroy a successful program that is accomplishing its’ intended mission. Why do we need to change the nature of these offices if there is nothing wrong? Obviously, Joe Roddy thinks that we need to make the NSO an ineffective program that only caters to those whom he owes political favors. This is the wrong direction for this or any other city in the 21st Century, and will breed corruption.

Posted under Other by Amanda Doyle on Tue., Mar 1, 2005 at 5:07 PM