Del Valle links rivals to convicted ex-Streets and San boss

By Abdon M. Pallasch Political Reporter

City Clerk Miguel del Valle on Thursday tried to connect former Streets and Sanitation czar Al Sanchez to two of del Valle’s rivals for mayor of Chicago: Rahm Emanuel and Gery Chico.

“I’m using today’s sentencing of Mr. Sanchez to remind everyone that we have a long history in Chicago of patronage politics,” del Valle said.

Sanchez was a godfather of the pro-Mayor Daley Hispanic Democratic Organization [HDO}, which prosecutors said he used to reward politically loyal precinct workers with hiring and promotions.

Citing testimony from the trials of other Daley administration officials, del Valle walked through which political troops were dispatched from City Hall to help Rahm Emanuel get elected to Congress in 2000.