Plan to end patronage OK'd

A federal judge approved Friday a plan to end political patronage hiring at Chicago's city hall after modifying it to require officials to log all contacts about hiring from aldermen or the mayor. U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Andersen also warned city officials that court-ordered monitoring of their hiring practices will not end until they stamp out the tradition of giving city payroll jobs to campaign workers. Patronage -- the practice of giving city jobs to doorbell-ringing precinct captains who get out the vote for the mayor and his allies -- has been part of Chicago politics since anyone can remember. A court decree banning it has been in effect for decades but has been all but ignored.