From the Sun-Times:

Brown's 6-point ethics plan -- a touchdown?
Candidate hopes anti-corruption agenda scores with voters

October 25, 2006
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Arguing that a "culture of corruption" plagues Mayor Daley's City Hall, mayoral candidate Dorothy Brown unveiled a six-point ethics plan on Tuesday designed to give Chicagoans a break from the "corruption tax" she claims they pay.

Electronic scoring of job applications, biometric technology and work site visits to combat payroll scams and an Office of Professional Standards completely independent from the Chicago Police Department are just some of the ideas Brown, clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, proposed to remove the cloud of federal investigations hanging over City Hall.

Brown also vowed to end minority contracting scandals -- like the $100 million fraud engineered by the Duff family -- by establishing a "separate and distinct office" reporting to the mayor's office to oversee the minority business program.

She pledged to stop subverting the anti-patronage Shakman decree that Daley is still trying to overturn and to use internal controls and audits to monitor equipment and city assets.

'Corruption tax'
"A culture of corruption has plagued City Hall and has been the face of Chicago to the world for far too long," Brown said, pointing to a Hired Truck scandal that has branched out into city hiring.

"Clearly, ethics has taken a back seat to clout-heavy patronage in driving the hiring process. Chicago taxpayers have footed legal bills in the millions for the city's gross mismanagement," she said. "This essentially represents a corruption tax."

In July, the mayor's former patronage chief and three others were convicted of rigging city hiring and promotions to benefit the Hispanic Democratic Organization and other pro-Daley armies of political workers. Last year, Daley appointed aggressive federal prosecutor David Hoffman to serve as the city's inspector general.

Some of the Brown reforms -- like site visits and biometric technology replacing punch clocks -- are already being implemented after more than two years of scandal.

Director resigned
Earlier this month, the mayor also forced the resignation of Tisa Morris, director of the Office of Professional Standards, amid allegations she didn't do enough to improve the image of the agency that handles complaints against police and has been a lightning rod for criticism in the African-American community.

"Everybody does [their share to stop corruption]--whether it's in the local, federal or state [governments] or private business. You know that -- in your own sector," Daley said, when asked whether he's done enough to end City Hall corruption.


CLERK OFFERS ETHICS AGENDA
• Electronic scoring of job applications.
• Use technology and work site visits to combat payroll scams.
• Have an Office of Professional Standards independent from the Police Department.
• "Separate and distinct office" to oversee minority business program.
• Support Shakman decree.
• Use internal controls and audits to monitor city assets.