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"Clout Kids" -- High paying summer jobs go to
politically connected children
The Better Government Association (“BGA”) partnered with Fox Chicago News to highlight how summer jobs are awarded by one local agency. In the tradition of Chicago politics, the investigation shows children of connected, city insiders being handed employment by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago based on who they know or who their family members are. They don’t even need to fill out job applications, and the District doesn’t post the jobs for the general public to see. Fox, with the help of BGA intern Timothy Bearden, found it nearly impossible for an “outsider” – someone not among Chicago's political elite – to find opportunities for seasonal work for the district. The “connected” get the $13.00/hour jobs that many skilled and qualified candidates never knew existed. What’s more, the district unapologetically defends the system, calling the process of taking applications “unnecessary”.
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