Russ Stewart: A Tale of Two Lawsuits: Santos, Longo Seek Redress

[Tweed]

http://www.russstewart.com/2-23-05.htm

"Gratitude is a fleeting commodity, quickly forgotten by the beneficiary. But, for the benefactor, the animosity fostered by ingratitude does not so rapidly dissipate.

For two disgruntled Chicago politicians, gratitude -- or the lack thereof -- is fueling a legal and political situation that could have a significant impact on the 2006 Illinois governor's race and on the 2007 Chicago mayoral contest.

Politician Number One is disgraced former city treasurer Miriam Santos, who was indicted by the U.S. attorney in 1999 on five counts of attempted extortion, five counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud and who was convicted on six counts. She appealed, had the conviction overturned after spending 112 days in jail, got her job back, was re-indicted, and pleaded guilty to one count of felony mail fraud. Now she's trying to rehabilitate herself by persuading the U.S. Department of Justice to agree to vacate her guilty plea.

Santos was once the favored protege of Rich Daley. When Daley was the state's attorney, he named her in 1983 as the deputy director of the child support enforcement division. In 1989, when county Treasurer Cecil Partee succeeded Daley as state's attorney after Daley was elected mayor, Daley appointed Santos as treasurer. Showing only fleeting gratitude, Santos soon embarked on her own course, and she was never reticent to embarrass the mayor. And, in the eyes of the Daley clan and their allies, who prize loyalty above all else, Santos became the "Irritating Ingrate."