Chicago Sun-Times: 18 firms face ban on doing city business

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http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-hired21.html

"Chicago officials are moving to ban 18 companies from doing city business -- most of them for three years -- because of problems with how the firms maintained their minority- or women-owned status or hired minority subcontractors.

The list, released with little fanfare Friday, reflects Mayor Daley's push to clean up well-intentioned but controversial programs to allow minorities and women greater participation in city contracts.

Some firms, the city is alleging, became fronts for non-minority owners and managers.

Four of the 18 -- K.J. Inc., Miffy Co., Granite Cartage and Rock-N-Bocker Cartage -- had been participants in the city's recently dismantled Hired Truck Program. Taxpayers had been paying many companies in that program to do little or no work, a Chicago Sun-Times investigation last year found."