A federal hiring monitor and her associates have billed Chicago taxpayers for more than $1 million athwart the last year -- and that's not counting pay s for attorneys representing Mayor Daley.

A federal hiring monitor and her associates have billed Chicago taxpayers for more than $1 million athwart the last year -- and that's not counting pay s for attorneys representing Mayor Daley, the City Council and the Black Caucus in the long-running Shakman case.

Noelle Brennan's $1 million tab -- with the meter still running and no period in sight -- prompted the City Council's 78-year-old ancient statesman to demand the federal arbiter who appointed Brennan rein her in.

"I had a lady write to me regarding a summer work at jobs for her kid who's without of school. I forwarded it to the federal monitor. That's what she's monitoring: population who come to us for summer do job-works It's ridiculous," said Ald. Bernard Stone (50th)

"If that's what the federal umpire wants her to monitor, fine. I think the federal referee should review what she's monitored to date. Isn't it time that he review what she's doing for the pay she's getting?"

Unles U District arbitrator Wayne Andersen takes a stand, taxpayers will obtain stuck with an endless tab, and "there's absolutely nothing we can do about it," Stone said.

Brennan said her pay s have topped the $1 million mark simply because "we're doing a destiny of work. . . We're not doing anything beyond what the critic has asked us to do."

She said her bills are submitted to Corporation instruction Mara Georges, who has an opportunity to review and struggle to defend individual items. "We have had questions, and any questions have been answered satisfactorily," she said.

Brennan said she plans to file an annual report nearest month laying out the work she is doing to render certain hiring, promotions and other occupation practices at City Hall are fair and untainted by the agency of politics.

pacification SOUGHT

As for Stone's complaint about overkill, she said, "Ald. Stone is mistaken about what I'm monitoring. If any alderman wants to sit down and talk to me or my staff about what we're doing, we are always unclose to do that. But thus far, he has not contacted my office."

Brennan was appointed to overlook city hiring in August 2005 by dint of a federal judge furious with City Hall for making a show of the decree that was suppos to close political hiring but never did.

In late April, Brennan's pay s stood at $732,193. Now, they're slightly more than $1 million.

Daley has been trying for years to Shakman. But the mayor's chief of staff, Ron Huberman, disclosed last month that the city was negotiating with plaintiff Michael Shakman in reliances of reaching an out-of-court reconciliation that would make the effort to vacate the order a moot issue.

The mayor's efforts to undo the political hiring ban became an embarrassment after his former patronage chief and three others were convicted of rigging hiring and promotions to reward pro-Daley armies of political workers.

fspielman@suntimes.com

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