Trust issues???

Crain's says that Mayor Daley wants to get any money for roads in his hands and not the governor's?

Mayor Richard M. Daley is lobbying to keep Gov. Rod Blagojevich's mitts off several hundred million dollars Chicago is poised to get through a proposed economic stimulus package under debate in Congress.

Historically, almost two-thirds of federal road funds go to metro areas, where locals decide how to spend them. But Mr. Daley and other U.S. mayors and local officials are worried that Congress will shift highway project decisions to the states in an attempt to simplify the process and create jobs more quickly.

"This is creating a great deal of heartburn," says Robert Fogel, senior legislative director for transportation at the Washington, D.C.-based National Assn. of Counties. "There's no guarantee that counties or cities will see one cent of the money for work on all of our many ready-to-go projects."

The impact on Chicago is potentially dramatic. Under a recent House-passed, $60.8-billion stimulus bill, Illinois would receive $436.8 million for highway projects, with no money set aside for Chicago.

Well this isn't a big surprise that officials in Illinois don't trust the governor to divy out public funds accordingly.