Chicago way: Michael Scott case not closed
Yesterday, I noted the troubled political life and sudden death of Chicago developer/Daley croney/Olympic bid-pusher/public schools chief Michael Scott.
The medical examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide.
But the case is not closed. Police are still continuing a probe:
“We know what the (medical examiner) ruled, but there’s still a lot of questions that exist out there,” police Supt. Jody Weis said. “We want to make sure we’ve done a thorough examination before we make a definitive call ourselves. It’s early on, this investigation.”
People who knew Scott well also say they can’t imagine he would take his own life.
“I haven’t talked to anyone that believes that this was in fact a suicide,” said former alderman and WVON radio host Cliff Kelley.
Scott’s body was found partially submerged in the Chicago River near the inoperable Kinzie Street railroad bridge after 3 a.m. Monday. His Cadillac was nearby, and a .380-caliber handgun was found underneath or near his body.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is tracing the history of that handgun and will turn over their findings to Chicago police.
Weis said no suicide note has been found. He also said Scott’s wife said it was unusual for him not to return home before midnight. Scott was last seen alive around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Sun-Times also puzzles over the lack of a suicide note and reports:
“The suicide is a shocker. Michael Scott seemed to like himself too much to end his own life,” said a Scott observer.
And there’s yet another failed business deal on his record:
Michael Scott and his partners had hoped to make at least $600,000 through a city-financed deal to build affordable and market-rate housing in Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers’ ward, city records show.
But the far West Side project hasn’t gone as planned.
Scott’s death Monday sparked a Sun-Times examination of his financially troubled development in the 29th Ward, where Carothers has been charged with taking bribes from another housing developer, Calvin Boender.
Though court records show Carothers secretly recorded “public officials and real estate developers” after being confronted by authorities, there has been no indication Scott has been part of the Carothers investigation.
However, the same grand jury that indicted Carothers is investigating whether clout played a role in student admissions to the city’s elite public high schools. Scott conceded he was subpoenaed in that probe but insisted he never tried to clout any kids in.
Scott originally had planned to develop the property in the 400 block of North Waller with Chicago real estate mogul Gerald Fogelson. The city agreed to sell them a half-acre lot for less than the appraised value in 2005 when Scott was school board president. Their lawyer and lobbyist was state Sen. John Cullerton, now Senate president.
Scott had left the school board by the time he closed on the city land in 2007, and he had new partners in the deal. A company owned by former Chicago Park District Supt. David Doig and two others replaced Fogelson in the project.
Doig’s firm and Scott paid the city $196,000 for the lot. They had planned to build 41 condos on that parcel and two others Scott owned.
Nine of the condos in the $13.2 million project were to be “affordable” units, making the developers eligible for up to $1.3 million in city tax-increment financing money, according to the agreement inked with City Hall.
But the developers have received no TIF money because the condos haven’t sold.
As I’ve noted before, tax increment financing is nothing but a wealth redistribution scheme.
Tragically, Scott appears to have been way in over his head.
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Trackbacks
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Categories: Corruption
Mudville Gazette
» In this case I'm pro-abortion
Founding Bloggers
» Breitbart At National Tea Party Convention: “It’s You That Sucks!”Sister Toldjah
» WH counterterrorism chief: Criticizing Obama only aids Al QaedaJustOneMinute
» How We Can Learn To Stop Worrying And Love Iran's BombAmSpecBlog
» Wieseltier Takedown of SullivanPundit & Pundette
» Blaming Rahm Emanuel for the failure of Obamacare
With so much corruption in that city, it wouldn’t surprise me that it was ruled a “suicide” to shut the matter up. Anything else would invoke an investigation that may be embarrassing. I’m sure, if it wasn’t a suicide, a lot of money ended up in “freezers”.
At least they have a body this time.
When you play with fire…
Why is it that every autopsy I ever heard about takes weeks for the results, but this one was over and done during a lunch break. Things that make you go hmmmm.
I wonder if the coroner knew if Scott was left handed or not. While it is not impossible for a right handed person to shoot themselves with the left hand, it is not very likely. Surely someone in Chicago knows the answer to this simple question.
A clear case of Chicago suicide – one behind the ear. (If only nine of the condos were affordable, what were they going to do with the 32 unaffordable units? Silly leftist misuse/abuse of language.)
This doesn’t pass the smell test.
Would that be another elected or appointed position from Daly?
Just askin’…
sounds like a 21st Century version of Vince Foster
Another clue that it was suicide:
Cement overshoes and more chain wrapped around him than he could possibly swim with…
Jus’ sayin’…
Ahh, yes. Another Cadillac-driving school superintendent bites the dust.
Suicide can be caused by severe depression, a bad reaction to medication, or the threat of harm to one’s family.
Which one is most likely in this case?
I would imagine the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin is taking this pretty hard….
LOL typical narcissitic liberal, but he obviously got in SOMEONE’s way…I don’t know, maybe…barry hussein????
Conspiracy time:
While trying to get the Olympics to Chicago, Michael Scott found Something on Obama. Michael Scott needed something done or money or both and tried to use this Something to get Obama or the government (same thing) to take care of it or risk exposure of the Something. The Michael Scott “problem” was taken care of.
who knew what , when? vince foster esque indeed. remember that huge long list of friends of bill who bit the dust. barry is racking up a similar list of dead cohorts.
Why are public officials and their families even allowed to participate in real estate deals with the stae, city, etc. If there was ever an opportunity for competing interests this is it. make it forbidden by law and most of the corruption will be avoided. Most, not all,
Ft. Marcy Park West,eh?
The Chicago Police are investigating? I am sure that fills his family with confidence and terrifies any possible miscreants. Yes sir Mayor Daley’s finest will get to the bottom of this. There must be some cash missing Mr. Scott hadn’t put in the Mayors morning envelope.
Except they found the gun thus NCI–
No Clintons Involved
Maybe the local girl – the one who lived near the migrant camps in Park Ridge, Illinois
Why be a public official if you can’t benefit from your service to the people? That’s the whole purpose of Chicago (among others) politics. It has nothing to do with serving any one.
That was my first thought. Outside of CSI or NCIS, autopsies usually take much longer than an hour with commercials.
Maybe they hired Abby to do it for them. Scratch that, she would find the truth. Probably just slipped a few C notes and a picture of the grand-kids to the Coroner. That would speed things up.
Jody Weis is a political stooge. He is a crony of Daley and probably wants this case to dissapear as quickly as possible. Weis would only keep the investigation open if he was getting massive pressure from Feds to do so.
If the cause of death is pretty clear, the autopsy doesn’t take long – only the toxicology results take weeks. When my husband died suddenly, the autopsy took about an hour (he had a massive heart attack due to severe arterial blockage (over 90-95%)). The tox screen took 8 weeks. If everything inside is ok, then it’s fairly easy to conclude this guy died from the gunshot wound to his head. Concluding that it’s suicide, however, is surprising at the least. But that’s how it works here in Chicago.
A women on the radio made an observation:
The dearly departed was under grand jury investigation
Some people under grand jury investigation talk to the investigators
The dearly departed do not talk to investigators
–
What WAS that women trying to say? It escapes me.
Scott was an insiders’ insider. He had dealings with all parts of the equation in Chicago. He was close to the Mayor since before his first election, and side by side with Valerie Jarrett in and out of the planning office. Tight with many of the ‘Reverends’who manage Chicago. His business deals involved many from ’special families” in Chicago. His partners were ‘made men’ or the paid pols of made men.
The man knew alot about things, people and their connections. He is also the second unexpected and strange suicide this year. Some might be a bit scared — weird that Rev Jackson was on the scene before most of the press, and the police who usually talk are very quiet.
I was thinking of Dundler-Mifflin.
BTW, if people will kill to protect the Daley machine, (and mob linked men run for Senate), and our Marxist in Chief is knee deep in the Chicago slime, well, draw your own conclusions but it makes sense that Obama’s union thug/street activist allies will physically attack opponents, and perhaps even Obama might adopt PRC/Tianemen Square type tactics to maintain his hold on power.
Since the Feds work for Holder, who is amazingly partisan and very loyal to Obama, do not expect an active Federal investigation.
I still suspect Blagojevich case was leaked early intentionally, possibly by light in the loafers prosecutor
Gerald Fitzpatricker, Patrick Fitzgerald, to stop the investigation before it got any closer to Obama. If you’ll recall, Fitzgerald launched the perjury trap on Scooter Libby, even though he already knew Richard Armitage was the Plame leaker. Nobody but a Democrat operative would do that.Notice you don’t hear much about Tony Rezko anymore. The Feds aren’t interested, and any rogue FBI agent that might want to talk to him probably has no support, and Rezko knows he could wind up mysteriously shanked in the showers or the exercise yard if he talks, and he could receive a full pardon in 3 to 7 years if he doesn’t.