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Actually, I’m not sure why the mayor was so upset. For the most part, Hoffman was rather measured in his comments. He made no sweeping accusations of fraud or negligence — even though reporters gave him plenty of opportunity with their questions. He refused to speculate as to why the mayor rammed the deal through the City Council so quickly. He even allowed for the possibility that it was a deal worth approving. I mean, he was like the Rubberband Man, the way he bent over backward to be fair.
Hoffman’s presser was in the fourth-floor conference room of the city building at 740 N. Sedgwick; as soon as he finished, we all packed up our stuff and schlepped upstairs to the fifth floor for Volpe’s.
My absolute favorite part of Volpe’s performance came when he took a moment to defend the integrity of his friends in the City Council, who, as you may recall, agreed to sell the meters after less than two days of debate over sketchy information. How dare anyone suggest that a legislative body so august as the Chicago City Council could be Mayor Daley’s rubber stamp! “It’s impossible for us to force the City Council on any matter,” he said.
