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by Mike Flannery
CHICAGO (CBS) ― Among the pointed messages Mayor Richard Daley sent Monday was one aimed at all those who dream of replacing him as mayor: Don't believe that speculation that he may be quitting.

"Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have the same enthusiasm for the mission of today as I did when I walked into office in 1989."

Prompting all this, of course, was last week's conviction in Federal court of Daley's long-time deputy, Robert Sorich, and three others on charges related to political hiring. He insisted that won't be a factor as he decides whether to seek another four-year in next winter's mayoral election.

"No, no, none whatsoever. No, it will not be a factor," said Daley.

And he seemed to have a message, too, for those federal prosecutors who claimed at the Sorich trial that City Hall is full of wrong-doers who will soon be facing their day in court.

"I've acted very openly, honestly and lawfully at all times in my role as mayor, state's attorney, and state senator. I am very proud of my role as a public official. I have no qualms about that," Daley added. "I'm absolutely comfortable that every action I've taken in this office has been lawful and appropriate. It's fair criticism to say that I should have exercised greater oversight to ensure that every worker the city hired, regardless of who recommended them, was qualified, and that proper procedures were always followed.

After a five-week trial, Sorich was convicted on two counts of mail fraud for his part in a scheme to load the city payroll with campaign workers in defiance of a federal court order.

In a press release from the Mayor's office, Daley did say that there have been problems related to hiring, which were underscored by the recent trial, and which his administration has worked hard to correct.

"In the last 14 months, we've installed new personnel directors, policies and safeguards to ensure that hiring is done in an appropriate and transparent way," he said. "I've also appointed a new Inspector General, recruited from the ranks of the U.S. Attorney's Office, who already is making a difference with an expanded corps of investigators."

Daley went on to say that he agrees that as someone who prides himself on knowing the details of government, he should have been aware of the hiring problems--by exercising greater oversight to ensure that every worker the city hired was qualified and that proper procedures were always followed.

"I can't change the mistakes of the past. As the chief executive, I can only learn from them, and put in place a system that will better protect the integrity of the hiring process and city government now and in the future. And that is exactly what we are doing and what we will continue to do."

The two-year investigation of corruption at Chicago's City Hall by federal prosecutors has thus far brought charges against 44 individuals and 41 convictions. One defendant died after being charged and two others are awaiting trial.

Sorich's former aide in the mayor's office of intergovernmental affairs, Timothy McCarthy, 35, was convicted of two counts of mail fraud. Patrick Slattery, 42, a former official of the department of streets and sanitation, was convicted of one mail fraud count.

Another former official, John Sullivan, 38, was convicted of one count of lying to an FBI agent and acquitted of another count of lying. Sentencing is set for Nov. 15.

Prosecutors said the fraud scheme was designed to hide the fact that city officials were violating the so-called Shakman Decree -- a 30-year-old court order that bars consideration of political affiliation in awarding all but about 1,300 of the 38,000 jobs on Chicago's city payroll.

The decree effectively outlaws Chicago's century-old political patronage tradition, long the fuel that made the city's once mighty Democratic political machine run. The decree is named for patronage-hating attorney Michael Shakman who blames his defeat in a 1970 election on hordes of campaign workers with city jobs who worked on behalf of a rival.

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