In Case You Missed It: Tribune Whacks Endorsers of Stroger, Berrios
Filed under: Blagojevich, Budget, Corruption, Elections, Mayor Daley, Reform, Taxes, Todd Stroger
We meant to post this earlier today, because it’s just a wonderful editorial by the Chicago Tribune.
Not only does the Tribune take a nice whack at all those Democrat politicians who endorsed Todd Stroger for County Board President in 2006 — they whack many of those same politicians for endorsing Cook County Board of Review Commissioner/Cook Democratic Party Chair Joe Berrios in 2010:
The list of pols who endorsed Stroger survives online, and for that we’re supremely grateful. His endorsers remain stakeholders in his broken promises, his patronage-larded budgets, and his notorious Friends and Family Hiring Plan.
Much as they might wish voters would forget their Stroger legacy, he’s all theirs:
Mayor Richard M. Daley is on the list, as are Durbin and now-President Obama. So are U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush, Jesse Jackson Jr., Dan Lipinski, Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky and current White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Five statewide officeholders — Rod Blagojevich, Pat Quinn, Lisa Madigan, Dan Hynes and Jesse White — also urged the rest of us to elect Todd Stroger.
And here’s the piece about Berrios:
What’s especially galling is that many of those who endorsed Stroger now have endorsed his crony Joe Berrios, a lobbyist, member of the county tax appeal board and candidate for the influential office of county assessor. When not in Springfield lobbying Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (a Stroger endorser) and Senate President John Cullerton (a Berrios endorser), Berrios passes judgment on … tax appeals for clients of Madigan’s and Cullerton’s law firms. That conflict is grotesque.
Good for the Chicago Tribune.
We’re somewhat surprised they didn’t mention the fact that their competitor, the Sun-Times, also endorsed Todd in 2006.
Say it ain’t so, Joe (although we all know it is)
Joe Berris is Cook County Democratic Party chairman. He is also a commissioner on the Board of Review.
And a lobbyist for the expansion of video gambling.
And he’s running for Cook County Assessor.
Is there anything that Joe can’t do? Better question — is there any conflict of interest in which Joe won’t engage?
Today’s Chicago Tribune editorial page puts a spotlight squarely on Berrios who, as they note, is not representing the best interests of the constituents he purports to represent (and from whom he draws a taxpayer-funded salary):
Where but Illinois can you find a candidate for public office crowing about his success as a lobbyist, working hard to bring gambling to your neighborhood?
That’s Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios, who’s running for county assessor. He also represents the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association, which scored big last year when the General Assembly passed a law to legalize video gambling in any establishment with a liquor license. This week, Berrios pushed through another bill that allows truck stops and fraternal lodges to host the machines too.
We’re not surprised by Berrios’ actions, even if we are supremely disappointed. The truth is, he’s not the only county elected official who draws a taxpayer-funded salary while also serving as a lobbyist who profits from lobbying his or her colleagues on bills that may be in direct conflict with existing county policy, or the best interest of the county taxpayers.
That’s exactly why Commissioner Peraica has introduced new additions to the county ethics ordinance that would bring an end to these conflicts and protect the taxpayers from the profiteers sometimes are elected to serve in county government.
The Stroger Six, Our Newly-Proposed Ethics Reforms, and Another Stroger Investigation
Filed under: Blagojevich, Corruption, Elections, Mayor Daley, Reform, Spending, Todd Stroger
by Tony Peraica
It was quite a day here in Cook County.
First, the Cook County Board failed to protect the taxpayers by coming up short in a vote to override Todd Stroger’s veto of our hiring freeze.
More to the point — six county commissioners failed the taxpayers by voting against the veto override. The Chicago Tribune editorial board calls out these “Stroger Six”:
The tally, 9-6 to override, fell short of the necessary 11 “yes” votes. The Stroger Six: William Beavers, Jerry Butler, Earlean Collins, Joan Patricia Murphy, Deborah Sims and Robert Steele. Steele and a seventh commissioner who gutlessly voted present, Edwin Reyes, had been co-sponsors of the original measure to tighten controls on Stroger.
Also during today’s county board meeting, I introduced new amendments to the county ethics ordinance to help curb ethical abuses by some county politicians.
Please watch my brief video explaining this ordinance.
ABC 7 Chicago, The Prairie Stater, Illinois Review and Publius Forum have also reported on our new ethics measures.
Finally — yet another investigation into questionable spending by the Stroger Administration. This one involves dubious spending on U.S. Census contracts. The Chicago Tribune’s Hal Dardick reports:
Two top aides to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger sidestepped the need for commissioners’ approval in doling out nearly $150,000 in census outreach work to people they knew. The eight contracts are among those being investigated by the county inspector general’s office…
Another day, another investigation.
As the politicians continue to abuse your tax dollars — we will continue our battle to rein them in and protect the taxpayers.
Tribune: Stroger “Sullying” His Own Name
In our previous post, we wrote that Todd Stroger was acting in defiance of the county board and the taxpayers.
But the Chicago Tribune editorial board has gone even further, writing that Todd “seems intent on sullying” his own name “and that of his Democratic cronies.”
We wholeheartedly agree. That same Trib editorial continues:
How else to explain that Stroger has hired six top-level employees at high salaries since his defeat in the February primary? How else to explain Stroger’s awarding of pay raises without board approval — including a $54,000 bump, to $230,000, for Chief Financial Officer Jaye Williams? How else to explain Stroger’s reinstatement of Carla Oglesby, his deputy chief of staff — after telling reporters just last week that she would be suspended without pay pending an investigation of how she was hired and why her communications firm then received a county contract? (No, that county inspector general’s probe isn’t yet concluded.) How else to explain Stroger’s veto Monday of a proposed ordinance to place a freeze on most hirings and raises — an ordinance the board passed 16-1 because of Stroger’s reckless stunts at taxpayer expense?
Again, we agree, and will work to override Todd’s veto of the hiring freeze to end his rampant disregard for your hard-earned tax dollars.
Privatization or Cronyization?
Mayor Daley has become a public fan of “privatization” over the years.
He privatized the Skyway. Talked about privatizing Midway Airport. Privatized the parking meters.
And now he’s privatizing city trucking (gee, there’s never been a city trucking scandal before, has there?)
Anyway, true privatization is supposed to save taxpayers money by putting out certain government functions to bid to private companies. That is — putting it out in a competitive bid. Basic free market economics teaches us that this competition breeds better service and lower cost.
Unless, of course, the privatization is rigged and the bidding is anything but competitive.
Which brings us to this story in this morning’s Chicago Tribune:
About 60 recently laid-off Chicago truck drivers picketed Friday at a city facility on the South Side, protesting that politically connected private companies are now doing work public employees performed for Mayor Richard Daley’s administration.
Under a deal that went into effect July 1, the city hired private contractors to haul construction debris from city work sites for the Water Management Department. Among the companies chosen was Reliable Asphalt Corp., which received a $158 million, three-year contract.
Reliable owner Michael Vondra has donated tens of thousands of dollars to local politicians, including Daley, the Democratic organization in the mayor’s 11th Ward power base and the pro-Daley Hispanic Democratic Organization. City records show Reliable’s lobbyists on the deal are Victor Reyes, a former Hispanic Democratic Organization chairman and top mayoral aide, and David Bonoma, son of Daley’s longtime secretary.
Privatization is a convenient buzzword behind which the Daley Administration can hide behind to dole out lucrative contracts to political cronies while pretending to save the taxpayers money.
Trib Editorial Rips Stroger Over IRS Snafu
The Chicago Tribune has an editorial up ripping Todd Stroger over his failure to pay federal taxes….the following line puts it best:
A cynic would say Stroger wants to keep collecting your money for the government he refuses to reform at the very moment he allegedly hasn’t paid taxes he owes.
A cynic would say that. And he/she would be absolutely correct.
Everybody Loves Todd
Filed under: Elections, Reform, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
Despite the massive taxes hikes … the constant headlines of patronage and waste … the budget mismanagement …
Todd Stroger says the voters love him.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Appearing on Chicago station WFLD-TV on Friday morning, Stroger says he thinks he’s done a good job since he was elected in 2006 and that he thinks he has an excellent chance of winning a second term … He has been widely criticized as ineffective. But Stroger says that when he talks directly with voters, many of them come away with a positive impression of him and he plans on doing more of that.
We can only imagine how nice it must be to have such a healthy ego, combined with a total disregard for reality.
Ahead of our time? Chicago Tribune (finally) hits on ‘corruption tax’
A few years ago, we started an online campaign called “Axe the Corruption Tax” to highlight the real cost of Cook County corruption to the taxpayers.
Apparently, we were ahead of our time…..this morning’s Chicago Tribune contains a story, “Corruption imposes hidden “tax” on Illinoisans”:
People pay the tax when politicians give government jobs to unqualified cronies and contracts to expense-padding donors. They pay when public employees take bribes to overlook violations, when law enforcement spends millions prosecuting crooked politicians and when people are injured because of government misconduct.
We are all paying for corruption. And every time we head to the polls and vote for the status quo - we ensure that this tax will continue to rise and hit our pocketbooks.
Heed the Tribune’s Call: Tell Your Commissioner to Vote ‘No’ On Back Door Tax Hikes
Filed under: Budget, Reform, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
The Chicago Tribune has a great editorial today on the importance of contacting your Cook County Commissioners to urge them to vote against the massive new debt that Todd Stroger has proposed in the form of hundreds of millions in new bonds.
As you know, I have proposed several common sense proposals - and subsequent compromise proposals - for modest budget cuts to streamline the budget. So far, they have not been supported.
You can rest assured I will vote against these new bonds - which amount to little more than back-door tax increases on top of the massive sales tax hikes enacted last year.
Follow the call of the Chicago Tribune by contacting the following Commissioners to urge them to streamline the budget and oppose this massive new debt:
• William Beavers, South Side and south suburbs: 312-603-2067 and 773-731-1515.
• Jerry “Iceman” Butler, Near South Side, south suburbs: 312-603-6391.
• Earlean Collins, West Side, west suburbs: 312-603-4566 and 773-626-2184.
• Roberto Maldonado, Northwest and North sides: 312-603-6386 and 773-395-0143.
• Joseph Mario Moreno, Southwest Side, Cicero: 312-603-5443 and 773-927-7154.
• Joan Patricia Murphy, south suburbs: 312-603-4216 and 708-389-2125.
• Deborah Sims, South Side, south suburbs: 312-603-6381 and 708-371-4251.
• Robert Steele, Near North, West and South Sides: 312-603-3019 and 773-722-0140.
•Then there’s Todd Stroger himself. His numbers are 312-603-6400 and 312-603-5500.
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