Message me
Perry Mandera -- owner of VIP's, A Gentleman's Club -- apparently had some pull with the Blagojevich administration.
Strip club clout?
suntimes.com - 4 weeks ago - 356 views
12 Comments Have your say. Vote up the best responses. ↓
Reactions on the web
Latest tweets linking to this story (Share url: http://windycitizen.com/wexf)
Latest tweets linking to this story (Share url: http://windycitizen.com/wexf)
Invite your friendsExplore this story
People: Chris Kelly | Fred Pascente | Harry D. Leinenweber | Iris Martinez | Perry Mandera | Rod Blagojevich
Organizations: Blagojevich administration | Blagojevich's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | DAVE McKINNEY Sun-Times Springfield Bureau | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | federal government | Gentlemen's Club | Illinois Supreme Court | Nevada Gaming Commission | State Gaming Control Board | then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration
Companies: CHICAGO SUN TIMES | CHICAGO SUN-TIMES | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Mandera
Top News Stories This Week
1
Comments
The gist: The Sun-Times obtained a database of everyone given a state job based on patronage in the Blagojvich administration (note: this is quite a coup!). Most of the people asking for and sponsoring jobs are other politicians. Perry Mandera, on the other hand, sponsor of nine jobs on the list, owns a strip club.
Surprise, surprise, he claims no knowledge of any of this.
Good journalists also ask the why behind the what.
Adelle77, your observation about how the name of a gentleman's club owner became associated with impeached & indicted former Governor Rod Blagojevich's political patronage list begs the question: Why?
One explanation may be the passage of state legislation which allows such tavern owners to overcharge patrons for champagne served at guest tables by an attractive companion.
Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass has reported that legislative support for the so-called "bottle bill" may be under scrutiny of the US Attorney's Office. One commodity futures trader who owned a once popular night club facilitated passage of the State of Illinois' first so-called bottle bill.
One of my acquaintances who trolled the Portland sub-prime real estate lending market before we first met @ Northwest Airlines said that his condominium developer associates were accustomed to his lavish entertainment as my friend cultivated their mortgage lending referrals.
Track the passage of that bottle bill & skilled Windy Citizen investigative journalists may understand who were those nine individuals on Governor Blagojevich's patronage list & how they may be involved in something bigger than the bump & grind of a Kingsbury gentleman's club.
Are you talking about sex in the champagne room? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBdVpNc9BZ0
I Googled "illinois bottle bill strip club" looking for more info about this....
...unfortunately the top result was this thread.
Got any links?
Bottle Service Bill's-strip club patronage? Here's that Chicago Tribune embedded Internet link:
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/jan/25/local/chi-kass-bd-25-jan2...
$500 for a single bottle of booze? Must be great stuff!
This is a common thing at more than just strip clubs. Crobar right next door does it along with many other major clubs. Sometimes it is a way to buy your way into VIP, to get better service or to just get attention. Drop a few hundred on a bottle of booze and a few heads will turn.
Who benefits besides the bar owner? Generous tips for the server or campaign contributions & other hospitality for supportive legislators who passed the bottle service bill?
I have normally seen it done as a sort if indicator of status. Though I could easily see it used as a method to gain clout. If bottle service is so expensive and you, as the owner, give a free bottle it would be a generous act and likely create a far greater opinion of the establishment you run.
Of course all of this is just hypothetical and just me thinking out loud.
A little bit more and Chicago/Illinois politics will be entirely like an episode of The Wire. To wit: http://www.hbo.com/thewire/episode/season5/episode51.shtml (go down to the part about Ricardo Hendrix).
How astute, my dear Anna!
How long will it take the Chicago media to muster the courage to put their newsmaker access on the line to explain what impeached & indicted Governor Blagojevich;s political patronage list really means?
I think the reporters at the Sun-Times would much rather out these people on this list than cultivate them as sources.
No, Len Kody. It's amazing what some guys will pay good money for, including overpaying for booze to impress their companions when there's only a hint of something better to come.
Post new comment