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Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Law - Chicago's top lawyer rejects criticism
From the Chicago Sun-Times today, in a column by Fran Spielman, city hall reporter, that begins:
Mayor Daley's embattled corporation counsel insisted Tuesday that her integrity remains intact -- and she can continue to function as the city's No. 1 lawyer -- even after a federal judge singled her out for ridicule.U.S. District Judge David Coar has dismissed as "incredible" Corporation Counsel Mara Georges' claim that she was unaware of hiring abuses until federal investigators raided the Mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs last year.
In documents unsealed on the day the mayor's former patronage chief and three others were convicted, Coar said he thought Georges "put on blinders" when it came to the scheme to reward pro-Daley armies of political workers with jobs.
"With respect to . . . the corporation counsel's office especially, there seems to be -- the attitude seems to be -- put on the blinders and don't look left or right," the judge said during a private discussion with attorneys.
On Tuesday, reacting publicly for the first time, Georges defended her integrity.
She insisted she was telling the truth when she said she was unaware that IGA, where convicted patronage chief Robert Sorich worked, controlled hiring.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 19, 2006 07:46 AM
Posted to General Law Related