THE MEMBERSHIP HAS SPOKEN.

See the results here:

http://www.chicagofop.org/Updates/2008/attachments/2008_election_results.pdf

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!

GET THOSE BALLOTS IN THE MAIL!

Remember to check your brand spanking NEW plastic FOP book cover. See who you can VOTE OUT OF OFFICE!
My impromptu poll of voters states that they have voted for NO platform and hodge podged the vote, splitting it up.
Heard alot of retirees voted and will have substantial representation on the board.
Also heard patrol basically voted for guys in districts.

Should be interesting!

VOTE IN F.O.P. ELECTION!

In the '02 election, there were 11,209 ballots cast total. (Nolan team Voted Out)
(City Wide Voted In)
In the '05 election, there were 8,822 ballots cast total. (City Wide Re-elected)
(Avg CWT 55% vs IOU 45%)
As of TUESDAY-04-MARCH 5,240 ballot envelopes returned to the P.O. Box.

FOP provided a postage paid envelope for the ballot return and the USPS keeps a count to bill the FOP.

STEP UP AND VOTE OFFICERS!!! WE SAY "NO" TO INCUMBANTS!
VOTE FOR ANYONE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH "THE CITY WIDE TEAM"!

This is great!!!

I love Mark Donahue, doin the irish jig. Is this a victory dance?
Don't know yet. Vote against incumbant "City Wide team"!!!!

LINK BELOW: cut and paste, scroll all the way to the end!

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/PEzvH0qzdcpKT8Wkf9OVPYzk

I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BALLOTS ARE IN THE MAIL

VOTE FOR ANYONE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE "CITY WIDE TEAM"! "CITY WIDE" MEMBERS LISTED BELOW
Mark Donahue (Pres.)
Frank DiMaria (2nd VP)
John Capparelli (Treasurer)
Tim Fallon (Financial secretary)
Bill Burns (Sgt at arms)
Ken Watt (Sgt at arms)
Tom Skelley (trustee)
Mike Voight (trustee)
Daniel Trevino (trustee)
Ed King Jr (trustee)
Robert Rutherford (trustee)
Rich Aguilar (trustee)
Mike Garza (trustee)
Anna Hanley (trustee)
Kevin graham (trustee)
Pat Duckhorn (trustee)
Joe Butney (trustee)
Jim Bailey (trustee)

F.O.P. salaries
President Mark Donahue: $182,000.00 plus a FOP car.

Bill Dougherty $134,00.00

Frank Dimaria $132,00.00

Greg Bella $132,00.00

Tim Fallon $134,000.00

John Capparelli $130,000.00

Sid Davis $132,000.00

TOTAL $1,108,000.00 APPROX. DO ABOVE OFFICERS DESERVE THIS COMPENSATION???

New Supterintendant makes big changes!

We live in interesting times. Police Dept. changes, City Politics, and a National election for President.
Very interesting times!
I would love to have been a fly on the wall down at headquarters for the last couple of weeks.
I guess it's wait and see what happens next. I noticed today alot of happy smiling faces at work after the changes were made. Mostly lotsa laughing and chuckling now that old patronage bosses are starting to be moved out.
We can only wonder who is next for the chopping block or for promotion?
Honestly officers, does it really affect us? The rank and file. The bottom of the barrel in patrol division, the front line that defends the basic principles of law and human decency in an EVIL society where respect for life has diminished enormously. I say NO, it does not affect our basic job function: Serve and Protect. Wear your uniform proudly, do what you have always done, fight evil, catch a bad guy, help someone. Keep up the good, honest work Patrol division. We do make a difference!

"The City Wide Team" web site

The "City Wide Team", F.O.P. incumbents has put up their own personal web site, see the link CLICK ON THE PURPLE LETTERS "THE CITY WIDE TEAM" WEB SITE ABOVE. The F.O.P. Web Site seemed to suit them fine for the last 2 administrations. Why put up a new one? Check out what they are taking credit for. See if you think they REALLY deserve credit for their accomplishments.

May `02
Pledges to run the Lodge like a business and established written policies and procedures.
REALITY: Pledged, not done! A business throws out members that are a threat to them? A business excludes retiree's that don't pay their dues? Business' get sued by past employee's and members of the business?
GREAT JOB!!! RUN LODGE LIKE A BUSINESS!!!

October `02
Lodge Representatives begin attending all Pension Board Meetings
REALITY: They STOP attending ROLL CALLS to keep membership involved!

January `03
Improved web site to include Disability and Retiree pages
REALITY: BIG DEAL, It's a web site!

April `03
Lodge forces City to submit bids for contracting of Dead Body removal
REALITY: 3 SEPERATE F.O.P. ADMINISTRATIONS WORKED ON THIS, IT FINALLY CAME TO A CONCLUSION.

July `04
H.R. 218 signed into law by President Bush who personally thanked us for our efforts.
REALITY: CHICAGO LODGE TAKES CREDIT FOR NATIONAL LEGISLATION THAT HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR OVER 10 YEARS!

December `04
City enforces need for signed affidavit when citizens complain on the Police
REALITY: LODGE TAKES CREDIT FOR CITY ENFORCEMENT OF STATE LAW!

February `05
Lodge 7 is first to acquire new contract over all 42 City Unions.
REALITY: LODGE INABILITY TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT FORCES THEM INTO FIRST ARBITRATION SO THEY CAN SAY THEY WERE FIRST. ARBITRATION AWARD CAME DURING THE FINAL WEEK OF LAST ELECTION AND SWAYED THE MEMBERSHIP TO AGAIN VOTE FOR A UNION THAT CAN'T NEGOTIATE AND LEAVES IMPORTANT DECISIONS LIKE OUR CONTRACT TO AN ARBITRATOR.
ARBITRATION AND NOT NEGOTIATION WILL BE THE FUTURE YOU HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO!

These are some of the REALITIES of the "City Wide Teams" leadership.
F.O.P. and "The City Wide Team" SHOULD not take credit for doing their job!!!
1. Filing Grievances to protect officers rights
2. Standing up for our contractual rights
3. Taking credit for an arbitrator deciding what he must, when he must
4. National legislation F.O.P. #7 had very little input in.
5. Establishing committee's made up of "City wide team" members
6. Improving a WEB site
7. Enforcement of State Laws

Here are more REALITIES:
1. "City Wide team" visits districts during election year, ONLY!
2. F.O.P. gets sued by employee and members, pays out in excess of $500 K
With members lawsuit still pending conclusion.
3. F.O.P. expels members who ran against them in last election.
4. F.O.P. expels retiree's who forgot to pay $20.00 dues. So retiree's can't vote.
5. F.O.P. routinely ignore Roberts Rules of Order at general meetings.
6. F.O.P. refuses to follow it's own Rules & Reg's, Constitution, By-laws and past
practice when formal charges are placed by members in good standing against
President Mark Donahue.
7. F.O.P. administration is out of touch with it's membership as evidenced by the
fact that under 100 members are eligible to run in the up-coming election!

VOTE OUT "THE CITY WIDE TEAM"!!! ELECT INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES!

Police Pension Funds in trouble everywhere.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-evpensionfeb06,1,598017.story

This linked article above just goes to show how bad pension funds are here in Illinois and across the nation. What has our F.O.P. done except forgive 23 million in debt owed to our pension fund by the city. NOTHING!!! EXCEPT ELECT STEVE ROBBINS F.O.P. CANDIDATE TO THE PENSION BOARD TO REPRESENT F.O.P. ISSUES, NOT PATROLMENS!

Hearing for Pending Charges against President Donahue

We have heard that a hearing was scheduled for 31 January 2008, first at 0900 hrs., and then, rescheduled for 1300 hrs., to hear the pending charges against President Donahue - which relate to the fact that he drove the F.O.P. into spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a case that should never have even happened. This case is a matter of public record and you can get as much information on this case, as you want. The court docket number is: 05-CV-7179 or 05-C7179, in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

But, why, was this trial panel scheduled in violation of the Constitution of the F.O.P. Lodge No. 7 and the Grand Lodge? The Constitution specifies that NO LESS than 30 days shall pass between the presentation of the charges and the trial panel hearing. Why no less than 30 days, you ask? So that everyone has an opportunity to prepare properly. There is NO provision for a waiving of the 30 day provision by either party. There is a provision for requests for reasonable continuances. Is it true that charges have been brought against the members of the trial panel - Secretary Davis & 3rd Vice President Bella -who are participating in this "train wreck"?.

Remember these are the same CityWide Team members who were so very, very quick to pronounce Past President Nolan and others affiliated with him as being arrogant!!! We submit to you that maybe two terms is more than adequate for our F.O.P. officers!!!! These people do not deserve to remain in office!

An article submitted for your consideration.

Is it true that the F.O.P. and President Donahue are in the mess that they are now faced with because they relied on the LEGAL advice of one of the trustees who just happened to be a SERGEANT & who apparently went to law school!?! Shouldn't that be reason enough to sit up and take notice of why we don't want to have SERGEANTS sitting on our Board of Directors?

Didn't that trustee fight the amendment to the F.O.P. Constitution which would have brought an end to the practice of SERGEANTS remaining in any office of the F.O.P. after their promotion? Could it have been that this SERGEANT/Legal Eagle was so inept that he couldn't make his attorney stuff into any part time job and that he had to continue to receive the monthly stipend from the F.O.P.?

This SERGEANT/Legal Eagle may have cost YOUR Lodge hundreds of thousands of dollars with his stupid advice. We won't even talk about the F.O.P. officers that went along with this stupid advice and who have now potentially caused our Lodge the loss of hundred of thousands of dollars!

Isn't that the same SERGEANT/Legal Eagle/Trustee who LED the charge to expel two members of the Lodge who had dared to speak out against the F.O.P. leadership in the 2005 election? No wonder only 69 candidates filed to run in this election. Why would you want to take the chance of being expelled and then have to fight for fair share benefits???

ON THE LAST SENTENCE ABOUT FAIR SHARE BENEFITS, LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THE EXPELLED OFFICERS STILL ARE REQUIRED TO PAY HALF THEIR DUES AND ARE SUPPOSEDLY COVERED BY F.O.P. LEGAL DEFENSE FUND. BUT, ONE OF THE OFFICERS HAD A CR # AND REQUESTED COUNSEL FROM THE F.O.P. AND WAS DENIED COUNSEL! GUESS WHAT? ANOTHER COMPLAINT AGAINST F.O.P. WITH THE EEOC, LABOR BOARD AND ANOTHER POTENTIAL LAWSUIT FOR NOT LIVING UP TO THEIR OBLIGATIONS TO FAIRLY AND IMPARTIALLY REPRESENT ALL MEMBERS! THANKS F.O.P.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH BY LAWS, RULES & REGULATIONS AND PAST PRACTICE OF CHICAGO LODGE #7

President Mark Donahue must be summarily suspended from all Lodge activities until a hearing can be scheduled which is no earlier than 30 days of the said charges being filed. Mark Donahue should immediatly turn over the keys to the F.O.P. car and office. He should be returned to his Detective Unit of assignment. Should again start to collect a Detective salary, NOT a Commanders salary which F.O.P. pays him.
He is suspended until the matter is adjudicated!
Furthermore 1st vice president Bill Dougherty should assume responsibility for Lodge #7 leadership in the interim and the State and National Lodges need to be notified along with The Management and Labor Affairs Office of C.P.D..

WILL THE F.O.P. DO WHAT IS RIGHT?
WILL ALL MEMBERS BE TREATED FAIRLY AND EQUALLY?
ARE ELECTED MEMBERS OF F.O.P. ABOVE REPROACH?
THESE ARE QUESTIONS ALL UNION MEMBERS NEED ANSWERED.

INTERESTING TIMES WE LIVE IN

Thursday, January 17, 2008
F.O.P. election meeting and General Meeting News Tue 15 Jan 08

We had a very interesting Election Committee meeting and this is what transpired:
bla bla bla everyone got the handouts and then......
Officer Harold Brown(Retired)filed formal charges against Mark Donahue our
F.O.P. President for: VIOLATION OF DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE FOP #7
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

1. Prez Donahues conduct in the Diemer
lawsuit violated provisions of the constitution in that he failed to
comply,adhere and insure that the Elected BOARD OF DIRECTORS shall be
the governing body of the lodge thereby violating the By-Laws.
(Be it noted that in open court 17-May-07 the lodge CAN ONLY ACT THRU IT'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THAT PRESIDENT DONAHUE IS BUT 1 MEMBER OF THE BOARD!)
2. Prez Donahues above conduct violated By-Laws attempting to deny information to the Board of Directors. Deliberately interfering with their fiduciary duty to the members of Lodge #7.
3. Prez
Donahue's conduct violated By-laws failing to faithfully perform the
duties of his office as required in By-laws DUTIES OF OFFICERS.
THE FOP IS NOT INSURED FOR THIS $400,000.00 LOSS AND THE MONEY TO PAY IT WILL COME DIRECTLY OUT OF FOP MEMBERS DUES!
In addition, Pursuant to lodge 7 past practices and Roberts Rules of Order.
Prez
Donahue shall be suspended upon the filing of theses charges and in
accordance with lodge 7 by-laws article II sec 4 a hearing to be
scheduled not less than thirty(30) from the date on which a copy of the
written charges are served upon the accused member.

A quick synapses to this entire thing which FOP does not want the membership to know about is this:
1. Mark Donahue as prez
of the fop #7 decide to fire a pregnant female attorney working for
them under the auspices of lousy work when she in fact asked for a
pregnancy leave and ability to work from home and phone.
2. Said attorney filed lawsuit and offered a deal and asked for 12K I'll walk away.
3. Mark donahue said "no way" were going to court.
4. 2.5 years later F.O.P. offers to settle lawsuit with female attorney before election comes up to the tune of over $400,000.00 USC.
5. Prez Donahue conceals facts of case from Board of directors
6. Prez Donahue asks for secrecy agreement in settlement.
7. Prez Donahue agrees to settlement singlehandidly.
thereby by-passing the board of directors who are legally entitled to
the information and who are supposed to actually run the lodge
8. This leads to the formal charges against Prez Donahue for the above stated violations of by-laws.
ARTICLE
IV BOARD OF DIRECTORS SECTION 2 OF FOP CONSTITUTION STATES: The Board
of Directors shall be the Governing body of the Lodge and shallexercise
full administrative powers subject to and in accordance with the
constitution and by-laws and the constitution and the by-laws of the
national and state lodges.

F.O.P. meeting Tue 15th Jan 1900 hrs

Start your year right by attending F.O.P. meetings! This could be interesting and informative. Plus don't forget the Beer and pizza afterwards!
* Watch F.O.P. manipulate and ignore the rules of parliamentary procedure!
* Listen to them toot their horns on how good a job they do!
* Observe our elected Sgt's at Arms who refuse to keep order at a meeting!
* See who the F.O.P. suckholes are that sit up front and 1st and 2nd all there actions!
* Get a free F.O.P. book cover! (which you might be paying for)(Don't know on this one)
* See what Mark Donahue really looks like!
* NEVER SEEN HIM IN A DISTRICT UNTIL ELECTION TIME!!!
PLUS DON'T FORGET THE BEER AND PIZZA AFTERWARD!!!

FOP obviously monitoring this site

I am truly flattered by the response I have gotten from obvious FOP insiders and tag along/yes men. Lots of HATE MAIL I have to delete. Terrible stuff, when I'm trying to address issues and not personalities. FOP has resorted to the Hillary Clinton campaign of personal attacks, which we here at the BLOG find morally reprehensible! This is a question and answer BLOG, I ask the questions, YOU "THE MEMBERSHIP" give the answer.
but one comment got to us so we are going to change venues for easier access by all the PO's out there!
Those FOP upstarts didn't like my BLOG name and gave me a suggestion which I'm running with.
We are moving everything over to:
HTTP://SCCFOP7.BLOGSPOT.COM
UP AND RUNNING SOON! THANKS FOR THE ADVICE FOP!!!
GIVE ME A COUPLE OF DAYS AND NEW AND INTERESTING TOPICS
ARE COMING OUT. LAWSUITS AGAINST FOP, ALLEGED FINANCIAL
IMPROPRIETY WITH OUR FUNDS ETC...

F.O.P. Elections March 2008

The election to come looks like this so far:
3 candidates for President
2 for 1st V.P.
2nd and 3rd VP spots unopposed
2 for Treasurer
2 for financial secretary
unk Sgt at arms (3 spots)
51 for Trustee (Only 17 spots)
For those of you who don't know, according to FOP bylaws you must attend 1/2 of the years meetings to be eligible to run for office (5 meetings). A bylaw that definitely needs to be changed.
Another issue you need to be aware of is that the president appoints the inside guys. That is literally the president chooses who works in the office, who makes the big bucks regardless if they win in the election! So in knowing this the BLOG advocates choosing PO Doherty for president. PO Doherty is a 20+ year veteran officer and is a totally INDEPENDANT candidate NOT running with any SLATE. We here at the BLOG have NO AFFILIATION with said officer but find him to be knowledgable, competent and a veteran officer who we believe will represent Police Officers Issues.
WE ARE ADVOCATES FOR CHANGE! TAKE A LOOK AT THE FLIERS THAT ARE GONNA BE GOING UP IN YOUR DISTRICT! LOOK AT THE FOP COVERS THAT THE FOP WILL HAND OUT! CHECK THIS WEB SITE AND OTHERS AND KNOW WHO YOUR FOP INCUMBENT ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE!
VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS! LETS START ANEW!
CHANGE IS GOOD!

Happy New Year! Let the F.O.P. Electioneering begin!!!

I think we have a 3 way run for the F.O.P. presidency. Mark $'s Donahue plus 2 patrolmen. One a goof another seems like a contender, we will let the membership decide who is who. I would argue that even a goof might be better for us than the pompous self centered F.O.P. leadership we now suffer. Not too much word yet on other candidates. About 40 running for 17 trustee spots.
WE SAY VOTE FOR ANYONE NOT CURRENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH F.O.P.
VOTE IN SOME NEW LIFE, ENERGY AND IDEAS!
AT THE VERY LEAST DON'T GIVE DONAHUE A "YES MAN" BOARD OF DIRECTORS!