Public boards help boost Andy’s economy

Andy Economy is somewhere between a shrewd businessman and a corrupt politician, and we all await a special prosecutor’s investigation to figure out which.

The roster of government bodies on which he sits seems to have a strong resemblance to his customer list at Andy’s Auto Body in Madison: Chairman of the Metro East Sanitary District and $33,150 in work for his shop from the district; Commissioner for America’s Central Port and $4,004 in work for his shop from the port; Venice Township supervisor and $1,000 for his shop from the township. While he doesn’t hold office in either city, Madison was good for $40,000 and Granite City spent $162,686 with Andy’s Auto Body.

Grand total: $240,840 during the past three to five years.

Now we fully understand sanitary district attorney George Filcoff’s comment when Economy’s $33,150 in work for the district first came to light: “He doesn’t need this business.”

Nope, because he has plenty of other business, plus $15,000 for serving on the sanitary district, plus $40,000 as township supervisor — and his wife makes $61,000 working for the township — but he does “donate” his time for the port district.

Economy may be taking care of No. 1, but he had plenty of help from his head-nodding brethren who failed to question doing business with their own.

As ethically challenged as all this may be, none of it is a surprise. The good-old-boy network takes care of its own, until they become an embarrassment and everyone suddenly recognizes the right thing to do after it hits the news.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Public boards help boost Andy’s economy."