Todd Stroger: A Disaster for Cook County

I am calling today to ask Todd Stroger to officially step aside in his quest to be re-elected as the Cook County Board President.

Yesterday the Cook County Democratic Party declined to endorse a seated incumbent for re-election -- something that rarely happens in politics. Even Todd Stroger's own party does not want to see him return for four more years as Cook County Board President.

Todd Stroger "inherited" the seat from his ailing father, John Stroger. His tenure in office has been infamous for incompetent management, hiring cousins and friends for high-paying patronage jobs, scandals with hiring and bailing out criminals, and the disastrous and regressive sales tax that drove much business away from Cook County and hurt already struggling residents.

I attended the board meeting almost two weeks ago when Mr. Stroger stood gloating over his "win" to retain the sales tax increase, keeping our taxes the highest in the nation. The meeting room was packed early with a crowd that had expected to see the tax increase overturned. But at the last minute, after promising to be a part of the majority to override Stroger's veto of the tax repeal, Commissioner Sims changed her vote to support Todd Stroger.

Although Commissioner Sims had promised to help overturn the tax, she broke her promise to her colleagues and to the citizens of Cook County that day. Also supporting the tax and President Stroger were Commissioners Jerry "Iceman" Butler, William Beavers, and Joseph Mario Moreno.

During the meeting there was a horrifying moment (the room was filled with audible gasps) when Commissioner Beavers "promised" to have Commissioner Suffredin arrested on ethics violations for his support of the sales tax repeal. This highly unprofessional personal attack was based on Beavers' wrongful assertion that since Commissioner Suffredin is a prominent attorney who also represents the Restaurant Association, he was in a conflict of interest on the matter of the sales tax. Legal experts have told me that we can dismiss this ridiculous and ungrounded charge -- no such conflict of interest exists. And of course, as of this date, Commissioner Beavers' threat has not materialized anyway.

There is a lot to be learned about what needs to be changed in Cook County here.

First, Todd Stroger needs to announce right now that he will not seek re-election. He should clear the path for better candidates to run for this important post.

Second, Springfield needs to pass State Senator Dan Kotowski's bill lowering the percentage needed to override a veto in Cook County government from 4/5 to 3/5. That bill is sitting in the House after passing the Senate unanimously. The Chicago Tribune and many other public
officials have been calling on House Speaker Michael Madigan to help get this bill passed and sent to the Governor.

Next, if the nation was horrified, and appropriately so, at the behavior of a South Carolina Congressman heckling President Obama during his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress, then we in Cook County must be no less horrified at the behavior of Commissioner Beavers, who made threats against Commissioner Suffredin and used those threats to try to pressure him to keep the sales tax increase. Some investigation is appropriate to look into whether or not the threat Beavers made against Commissioner Suffredin to influence his voting on a key piece of law was legal or not. If it is not legal to make such a threat, then Beavers should be sanctioned appropriately. At the very least, Commissioner Beavers should apologize.

Finally, all Commissioners who have consistently supported President Todd Stroger over the last three years need to be voted out of office next year, including the three-term incumbent Republican currently representing the 14th district, my opponent, Mr. Goslin, who has never stood up openly to oppose Stroger or to take the lead to get the county going in an entirely different direction -- one that focuses on the lives and needs of the residents and taxpayers of Cook County.

It is clear that the people of not only his own party but of Cook County as a whole have entirely lost faith in President Stroger. His abysmal approval poll ratings are at a mere 10%.

The wonderful people I have been talking to as I walk door to door through homes in my 14th District have been strikingly clear on the need to get rid of Mr. Stroger. I am very much looking forward to getting to work starting in December 2010 to get Cook County government working much better for its residents. That day cannot come soon enough.

Addendum: 9/18/09: Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has launched a probe into the financial dealings of Todd Stroger.

More to my point.

Update: February 3, 2010: Todd Stroger loses, 4th out of 4 candidates, in the primary to be re-elected. We can't be rid of him soon enough. He has already started "revenge firings," and there is still a lot of harm he can do between now and December 2010 when he leaves office. He and those who supported him frequently throughout the last four years, including my opponent, have left us quite a mess to clean up.