CHICAGO _ Call it a Milly-culpa?
Chicago Ald. Milly Santiago offered an apology of sorts Thursday, a day after she complained about the Cubs yanking their offer of face-value World Series tickets for aldermen. The 31st Ward politician who makes $116,208 per year described herself as "a poor alderman" who can't afford scalped tickets and said the seats weren't in a great spot in Wrigley Field anyway.
"I never intended to offend anybody, and if I did offend somebody I apologize," Santiago said at City Hall. "When I said 'poor alderman,' I'm very grateful for my salary and my position. What I meant to say was, you know, compared to so many people, the scalpers and all these brokers, and all these people who have access to all these tickets to the highest price, of course I'm poor compared to them. Because my salary doesn't make me rich."
On Wednesday, Santiago was among several aldermen who spoke during city Inspector General Joseph Ferguson's budget hearing about their aggravation at not getting the face value World Series seats at a time Cubs fans are paying thousands of dollars to get inside Wrigley Field to see this weekend's games.
The Cubs pulled the ticket offer after the city Ethics Board ruled last week that to take them could violate a ban on elected officials accepting gifts worth more than $50 (the difference between face value and market value being thousands of dollars).
"I'm a loyal fan, and that was a moment I was waiting for along with millions of people," Santiago said. "But I think, in a moment of passion and the excitement, I probably said the wrong thing. It came out bad, and I apologize for that."
But Santiago noted the team offered the tickets to aldermen at face value for the division series and the National League Championship Series.
"The thing is, it was not unethical during the playoffs," she said. "But now it became unethical for us to accept any others for the World Series games. But if the law is the law, and they're willing to make changes, I have to go by it. I don't have any problem obeying the regulations."
