Peraica uncovers county corruption
Cook County’s post-Sept. 11 security initiative, dubbed Project Shield, which has come under fire for being sharply over budget and years behind schedule, is proving to be an even bigger drain on taxpayers.
And in the end, it will provide a more porous security net than envisioned.
What’s the average cost of installing and operating just one functioning camera? Documents show the cost is $236,000. Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica claims fraud, waste and abuse has occurred.
Those are the latest findings of an ongoing Chicago Sun-Times / NBC5 News investigation.
Read the complete stories at the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC5.
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.
Water District Spends $5M to Guard Sewage Plants
CBS 2 Chicago reports $5 million is being spent guarding sewage plants in the name of homeland security. Tony Peraica believes it’s abuse of taxpayer dollars.
You can read the entire article at cbs2chicago.com.
I Voted to Support Tax Rollback — Sims Enables Stroger
Filed under: Reform, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
by Tony Peraica
I — along with 12 other commissioners — voted today to override Todd Stroger’s veto of the sales tax rollback we passed this summer.
Unfortunately, Commissioner Sims flipped (she supported the rollback in July) and voted today to provide the enabling vote in support of Todd’s override.
She betrayed her fellow commissioners — and the Cook County taxpayers.
Click here to read the official statement we released today.
Chicagoist has a great story here (which highlights my criticism of the vote).
Click here to watch ABC 7 Chicago news story that aired regarding the vote.
Part 4 of My Interview with Chicago News Bench
Filed under: Mayor Daley, Reform, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
Following is Part Four of the series of interviews I completed with Chicago News Bench. In this video, we discuss Cook County corruption, Tony Rezko, Mayor Daley, and the county’s oppressive sales tax. Please watch this interview here:
News of Note from the Past Week
It’s been a busy news week here in Cook County. Here is a collection of stories from the past week — many of which will make your blood boil:
- Workers give to Stroger’s campaign, get big raises (Sun-Times)
- Stroger Announces New County CFO (Polish News)
- Cook County Forest Preserve Budget Vs. Executive Raises (Examiner)
- Stroger Isn’t Qualified for His Position (Steve Rhodes blogging at NBCChicago.com)
- Report: County Staffers Got Raises for Campaigning (CBS 2 Chicago)
And, if you missed it, we invite you to view the most recent edition of “Cook County Perspectives” in which Commissioner Peraica interviews Rep. John Fritchey (Part 1 is below)…
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.
Alderman Ed Burke Is Against Cook County Jobs
Filed under: Economic Growth, Reform, Spending, Uncategorized
Union-sponsored blog Progress Illinois crows today about a Sun-Times article in which Ald. Ed Burke states his opposition to building a new Wal-Mart in Chicago.
For a primer/refresher on Ed Burke, please read here.
In short, Burke said he’s withholding support for a new Wal-Mart until the company backs the Big Labor-backed “Card Check” bill pending in Congress. That bill would rob American workers’ right to a secret ballot in union organizing elections.
In addition to being undemocratic, that bill would no doubt cost good-paying jobs.
Of course, at the same time unions attack the job-producing Wal-Mart … they outsource their “picketing” work lowly-paid temporary workers.
But, mind you, Burke’s motivation is anything but high-minded. It’s purely political. He is the uber-insider on the Chicago City Council (who has worked hard to unseat Tony Peraica, the host of this blog) who works hard to take care of his political contributors…even if its at taxpayer expense.
According to State Board of Elections reports, his semi-annual campaign finance report for only the last half of 2008 shows $17,000 in campaign contributions for labor. The Burnham Committee, of which Burke is an officer and which contributed $150,000 to his campaign committee in 2008, received about $9,000 in labor contributions during 2008.
Burke has obviously decided to stand with his labor backers — rather than these Chicago citizens who know that Wal-Mart will bring much-needed jobs during an economic crisis.
Thanks to Peraica, Cook County May Get a Tax Cut
The Cook County Board of Commissioners finally passed what appears to be a veto-proof rollback of the county sales tax.
It’s not quite the full $1 rollback that Tony Peraica proposed more than a year ago (and again this year, which the board then passed), but it is tax relief and it does appear to have the support of 14 commissioners needed to override Todd Stroger’s promised veto.
You can read Peraica’s statement here.
He also appeared on Fox News Chicago yesterday morning to discuss the tax relief ordinance (video below):
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.
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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