Chicago's Hispanic Democratic Organization Disbands

Once the most powerful and feared patronage army in Mayor Richard Daley's political organization, the scandal-plagued Hispanic Democratic Organization is now officially extinct.

The group, known in political circles as HDO, filed paperwork Tuesday closing its campaign committee, state records show.

HDO first rose to prominence in the 1990s, helping elect Daley-endorsed candidates for City Council, the Illinois General Assembly and Congress. Although City Hall had agreed to restrict patronage hiring for most city jobs, HDO leaders amassed a huge roster of campaign workers by promising jobs and promotions in the Daley administration.

The group's influence withered in recent years under the scrutiny of a federal investigation into a city hiring system that was rigged to favor HDO members and other pro-Daley political workers. Retired Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez, once the top HDO official on the Southeast Side, is facing corruption charges in the hiring probe.