Those Pesky Contracts

Don't mean a thing to a mayor desperate to cover up years of financial mismanagement:

• Mayor Daley says the City’s sister agencies are joining in the shared sacrifice designed to reduce budget shortfalls this year.
  
  [...] that means more furlough days and budget cuts.
  
  The Daley Administration is already demanding unpaid days off and spending cuts from all departments here at City Hall.
  
  Now Mayor Daley says similar moves are being made at the Chicago Transit Authority, the Public Schools, the Park District and other agencies to the tune of nearly $19 million in additional savings.

So all of these agencies that settled their contracts when times were good? Shortshanks wants you to forget all those promises, forget those agreements, forget everything that occurred before and give him bushels full of money.

If their leaders have half a brain, they tell Daley to jump in the lake - they have signed contracts in hand. These are the organizations that have the City over a barrel.