Cook County, Ill., Puts Local Government Checkbook Online
From fraud and bribery to blurred ethical lines in government circles, Illinois has a political history smeared with corruption. It’s a system that historically has been known more for trying to keep secrets than pushing for transparency.
But amid the cries from the public and the call from President Barack Obama, a Chicago native, for governments to be more open, local leaders have launched initiatives for citizens to see where exactly government money goes.
The latest effort comes from Cook County, Ill., which put its check register online at the county’s Web site, www.cookcounty.gov, a move that will not only allow the public to track local tax dollars, but could create a wave of similar transparency measures across the state.
Read the entire article at govtech.com.
The Successful Reign of Todd Stroger
Filed under: Blagojevich, Budget, Corruption, Crime, Elections, Reform, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
At first, we though this story was a satire — ripped out of the pages of The Onion newspaper.
But we then remembered that this is Cook County, where suspension of disbelief is the norm and failure is rewarded on a regular basis.
We’re not sure exactly how Micah Maidenberg defines success, but apparently Todd Stroger fits into that definition, as evidenced by this quote attributed to Stroger himself:
“There’s plenty of people who feel I’m doing a good job, and then there’s plenty of people who read the newspapers and don’t know what’s going on in the county, because they don’t report what the county does,” Stroger said during a recent interview at his downtown office with Austin Weekly News staff. “When we have a story about what is happening with the county dollar today, we can’t get that in the paper so people don’t know what’s going on.”
If success is defined as a bloated budget, a worsening jobs climate, and rampant corruption — then this story is right on track.
Maidenberg throws in this little jab at those who have dared hold Todd accountable:
His critics on the board have decried Stroger’s successful push for a 1-percent increase in the county share of local sales taxes. They’ve also condemned his hiring decisions and questioned his leadership.
Actually, it’s not just the critics on the board who have raised those issues. It’s the major newspapers. It’s the taxpayers. It’s the voters in border towns who have supported (successfully) ballot measures to secede from the county. It’s the employers, who continue to flee Cook County.
And, in terms of hiring decisions, perhaps it’s not fair to criticize his hiring of a busboy with a troubled record to a highly-paid position in the highway department. Even when that busboy-turned-county employee ended up in jail and the circumstances led to the firing of Stroger’s cousin from the position of county Chief Financial Officer.
Just as Todd did when he tried to tie me to George Bush in 2006 — he attempts to avoid accountability and criticism by personally attacking those on the board who oppose him (a bipartisan contingent, we might add, that now even includes John Daley.)
By any reasonable measure of effective government, Todd Stroger has failed.
And, if newspapers like the Austin Weekly News can sell more papers by celebrating this failure — then more power to them.
But shame on them.
Suburbs Fall Victim to Political Insiders’ ‘Red Light District’
Filed under: Budget, Corruption, Reform, Spending, Taxes
The Chicago Tribune this morning blew the doors off the lucrative scheme by a select group of western Cook County suburban political insiders to cash in on the “red light” cameras that have popped up throughout the suburbs.
Originally proposed as a railroad crossing safety measure, the taxpayer-funded usage of these cameras was vastly expanded by the clout of these insiders who were able to get contracts with more than “50 Illinois municipalities.”
The Daily Herald also weighed in the situation, noting that the cameras are often put in “places with few related crashes” … leading some to wonder if the these cameras are more about revenue and profits than about traffic safety.
So, just who are the political insiders cashing in at the taxpayers’ expense?
Despite being part of a “closely held Israeli-owned conglomerate that does most of its business in Kazakhstan”, the red light scheme is being pushed locally by many of the same folks who are staunchly opposing Commissioner Tony Peraica’s reform efforts in Cook County.
The Chicago Tribune reports:
The company’s sales director is Greg Zito, a former state senator from Melrose Park who also is a longtime Illinois lobbyist for British banking and credit card giant HSBC and the local loan giant it bought, Household International. Those two firms have long been a major source of campaign cash for the red-light legislation’s chief sponsor, state Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano (R-Elmwood Park).
RedSpeed also has become something of a gathering spot for associates of Zito and his longtime friend Al Ronan, another former Illinois lawmaker and a lobbyist for RedSpeed since 2007. Ronan — who lobbied for the red-light camera legislation on behalf of Melrose Park — was a name partner in a lobbying firm that pleaded guilty to federal bid-rigging charges in 2004, though Ronan personally was not charged. He also was a major fundraiser for both former Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich.
Talk about a smorgasbord of Cook County political insiders. And is it any surprise they all have ties to Melrose Park?
Melrose Park is, of course, home to Village President Ron Serpico — a man about whom we provided some interesting bullet points in this recent post. Serpico also ran against Tony Peraica in the 2002 race for 16h District Commissioner — and Serpico’s campaign manager in that race was none other than … Al Ronan.
As for Saviano, he has close ties to Serpico, as detailed in this Champion News article:
Saviano made four contributions totaling $2,200 to Ronald Serpico, former Democratic Mayor of Melrose Park, between February 1999 and May 2004. In turn, Saviano received six contributions totaling $2,100 between June 1995 and June 2001 from Serpico.
And, according to the Tribune article referenced above, Saviano is not only allies with Ron Serpico and a recipient of campaign cash from Greg Zito’s lobbying clients …. he also (surprise!) sponsored the red-light camera legislation in Springfield:
On the House floor, Saviano had the bill rewritten to authorize red-light cameras. Another version of the bill was pushed on a parallel track by now-Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), though it was the Saviano measure that became law.
We urge you to read the Tribune article in detail. It is an telling (and all too common) story about how political insiders line up to make a profit at the expense of taxpayers … while the politicians in Cook County and Springfield keep trying to convince us that they need more of our tax money.
Voters in the Cook County 16th Commissioner District should also pay heed — because these same political insiders are the ones targeting Tony Peraica for defeat in 2010.
Why? Tony’s push for reform and transparency is a direct threat to their profits.
Cook County Finances Sound? Not According to Fitch
According to this press release, Fitch has downgraded Cook County’s bond rating.
Commissioner Peraica also has a post at his Web site.
Voters, Spending and Taxes
Filed under: Budget, Corruption, Reform, Spending, Taxes
Last week, Rasmussen Reports released a poll showing that 77% of Americans see government officials’ unwillingness to cut government spending as a bigger problem than voters’ resistance to tax hikes:
For nearly four-out-of-five U.S. voters, the problem is not their unwillingness to pay taxes. It’s their elected representatives’ refusal to cut the size of government.
Those poll numbers are music to our ears … but will these numbers actually translate at the ballot box?
After all, for years, the issue of political “pork” has made headlines. And polls regularly show that Americans disapprove of this political spending of taxpayer dollars.
But year after year … voters actually reward politicians who bring home the bacon.
It’s most likely an issue of voters disliking politicians who bring pork to other districts … but reward those who bring these pork-barrel projects to their own district. After all, one man’s pork project is another citizen’s paved road or sewer project, right?
It’s an ongoing problem — especially since, here in Illinois, the root of our corruption and budgetary problems is the spending process. Pork is exactly what has bred our notorious pay-to-play and budget deficits.
But corruption has been here for years — and so have the deficits. Yet the voters have continued to reward the same Democrat politicians who have brought this upon us.
Will 2010 be different? Let’s hope so — and let’s hope the poll results released last week will translate at the ballot boxes.
Stroger Forces out Cousin from Job as County CFO
Filed under: Budget, Corruption, Reform, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
It’s reported today that Todd Stroger has forced out his cousin from her position as Cook County’s chief financial officer due to the disclosure of her relationship with a convicted felon who was also on the county payroll.
More from CBS 2 Chicago:
Stroger “asked for and accepted” Dunnings’ resignation, according to a news release from Stroger’s office.
The move follows what the news release called “disclosure of issues related to a personnel matter that could conflict with her ability to fulfill her responsibilities as chief financial officer.”
Further information was not provided in the news release, but in an interview Friday morning on the WLS-AM show “Don Wade & Roma,” Stroger said the controversy stemmed from Tony Cole, a former college basketball star who received a patronage job in late 2008, and was fired after Stroger learned that he had a felony criminal conviction.
Sun-Times Rips Stroger ‘Tax Plan’ … Lauds Peraica Plan
Filed under: Budget, Reform, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
The Sun-Times Editorial Board writes this morning:
Did you hear about Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s tax rollback?
For every $100 you spend, you’ll pay 25 cents less in county sales taxes.
Starting Jan. 1 next year.
Whoopee.
We’re all for tax breaks, but we like them to be meaningful.
As for Peraica’s plan?
As for Peraica’s plan, we support scaling back the entire sales tax increase because the county has not made a convincing case why it needs that money every year.
On Tax Day…Peraica to Introduce a Repeal of the County Sales Tax Hike
Stay tuned for more …
But next Wednesday (Tax Day), Tony Peraica will introduce an ordinance to repeal last year’s massive Cook County sales tax hike.
Pass the word…
Sun-Times: Todd ‘Shoots an Air Ball’
Filed under: Blagojevich, Budget, Reform, Spending, Todd Stroger
Here’s a fun one from this morning’s headlines…
Former University of Georgia basketball player Tony Cole — a convicted felon who also was once charged in a rape case — scored a patronage job in October with Cook County President Todd Stroger’s administration.
Another day, another story of patronage.
And Todd Stroger still hasn’t found that wasteful spending in the budget yet?
For those of you who haven’t watched, we urge you to view this funny video:
Thoughts on yesterday’s elections
Filed under: Budget, Corruption, Elections, Mayor Daley, Proviso Township, Reform, Spending, Taxes
The results at the polls in yesterday’s municipal elections were mixed.
In some municipalities, such as Bensenville, the machine-backed candidate won. (In that case, Daley was exacting revenge of Bensenville incumbent Village President John Geils for opposing Daley’s misguided O’hare boondoggle.)
In a township such as Proviso, the machine incumbents barely held on to power - but lost some key seats to reform-minded candidates.
In watching tonight’s edition of WTTW’s Chicago Tonight - an interesting bit of information was thrown out: this year, 69% of incumbents held their seats, compared to 73% two years ago, and 81% two years before that.
The trend is clear: incumbents aren’t as safe as they used to be.
Much of that can be attributed to voter anger - at the continued corruption and the skyrocketing taxes they are forced to pay in Cook County (and perhaps at the state level, as well.)
In fact, the voter angst over Cook County’s massive sales tax resulted in three townships voting to secede from the county. The Huffington Post reports more on that situation:
Referenda in Barrington, Hanover and Palatine Townships on whether or not to disconnect from Cook County, where the sales tax rate is the highest in the country, all passed overwhelmingly Tuesday, revealing the depth of unrest over the county’s 1 percent sales tax increase in 2008.
And we are sure to see that anti-tax voter sentiment amplified at the Tax Day Tea Parties being organized in Chicago and some suburbs next week.
The key is to keep this movement growing and to ensure that the anti-tax forces beat back the status quo politicians at the polls in 2010. Whether it’s the Cook County Board Presidency, the Governorship, or any of a host of key General Assembly seats - next year is a year in which the voices of reform need to join together to take back Illinois from the corrupt and the inept who are costing us millions in “corruption taxes” and who have made our state a national embarrassment.
Reform Tweets
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- Project Shield a big drain on taxpayers http://ff.im/gUAyV
- Corruption in City of Chicago Hiring Process http://ff.im/gJhye
- Ex-Bridgeport Village couple building a case against City Hall http://ff.im/gCjwn
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