Do we really need a “Coffee Czar” in Cook County?

April 19, 2010 by CookReformer
Filed under: Reform, Spending, Taxes

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you remember that you live in Cook County and nothing is surprising.

Despite the constant warnings of financial Armageddon and push for tax hikes from elected officials at the state, county and city levels, we continue to see stories of waste, fraud and abuse of our tax dollars.

Take, for instance, this story from today’s issue of The Prairie Stater.

It appears that county taxpayers are footing the bill for coffee … To the tune of tens of thousands of dollars per month:

Thanks to the county’s new “Open County Initiative”, which allows the public to search and view the county check register online, we identified $76,291 in checks that were paid to Elgin-based ACE Coffee Holdings, Inc. since December 2009. According to the company’s Web site, in addition to coffee, ACE sells additional products, such as cups, lids, sports drinks, water, tea and snacks. Additional government entities with which the company has had contracts include the Illinois Tollway Authority, Community Consolidated School District 54 (Schaumburg), the Oak Park Township Senior Services Nutrition Program, the University of Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The story goes on to detail the company’s significant campaign contributions to local politicos.

Commissioner Peraica is also quoted: