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City Clerk James Laski has been secretly recorded as part of the federal Hired Truck investigation, and two of his close associates are cooperating with investigators, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Laski has allegedly made incriminating statements on the secret tape recordings, according to people familiar with the matter.

Federal prosecutors played selections of the secret recordings last month in a meeting with Laski to show the strength of their case against him and persuade him to cooperate with the investigation, sources said. The outcome of the meeting could not be determined.

'Trying to work out a deal'

"He's leaning toward working something out and resigning. Is it a done deal? No," said one source close to Laski. "His only dilemma is trying to work out a deal to save his pension."

Any public official convicted of committing a felony in the course of his official duties could lose his government pension. Laski, 52, hasn't been seen in his office in weeks and he missed the office Christmas party, three sources said. Laski has largely remained in his home in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood near Midway Airport, sources said.

Probe keys on Hired Truck deal

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment.

Laski was elected city clerk in 1995 on a platform of giving taxpayers their money's worth. The job opened up after City Clerk Walter Kozubowski was convicted in a ghost payrolling scheme and his appointed replacement, Ernest Wish, decided not to run.

Investigators are focusing on Laski's possible efforts to get business for a Hired Truck firm once owned by Laski's longtime friend and employee, Michael "Mick" Jones. The investigators have explored whether Laski received any payments or benefits for trying to drum up work for Get Plowed, a small trucking company no longer in the Hired Truck Program.

Donald Tomczak, the convicted head of the city's Water Department, told federal prosecutors that Laski would visit him at Tomczak's office at the Jardine Water Filtration Plant near Navy Pier to ask Tomczak to use the trucking firm, Get Plowed, for Hired Truck jobs.

Laski said in a brief interview in November that the discussions with Tomczak involved politics, not trucks. "I paid visits to him on a number of occasions for political things, to talk to him about campaigns. There was nothing out of the ordinary," Laski said. Laski refused to talk about Get Plowed with a Sun-Times reporter.

Mick Jones, who works as the chief investigator in Laski's office, is cooperating with federal investigators, sources said. Jones' wife, Traci, works for Laski too.

Political backing from Lipinski

Another friend of Laski, Randy Aderman, a city water department employee fired in June for allegedly taking part in a time sheet scam, is also cooperating with the investigation. In 2001, Aderman ran into trouble when he falsified his time sheet to show he was working on the city job when he was actually golfing with Laski.

At least one of those two men secretly recorded Laski, sources said. Neither Aderman nor Jones returned phone messages for comment on Tuesday, nor did Laski's criminal attorney, Anthony Pinelli.

Craig Tobin, the lawyer representing Laski's political fund-raising committees, said the entities have complied with federal subpoenas asking for financial records. "The committee has not been notified that it has any problems," Tobin said.

Laski comes out of the 23rd Ward political organization of former congressman William Lipinski, who helped elect Laski alderman and then city clerk in 1995. Laski has long had his sights set on a higher office, such as the mayor of Chicago or state treasurer.