My Discussion with Rep. Fritchey about Todd Stroger
by Tony Peraica
This this latest episode of Cook County Perspectives, Rep. John Fritchey and I discuss the performance of Cook County President Todd Stroger:
Stroger, Subpoenas and Cook County Politics
Tony is featured in this ABC 7 News story, commenting on the political ramifications of the recently-revealed grand jury investigation into the Stroger Administration:
“There are political machinations at play here to further undermine Todd Stroger, if that’s possible,” said Tony Peraica, Cook County commissioner.
“He’s toast. He’s done. And everybody knows it except Todd Stroger,” Peraica said.
Click here to watch the full video.
Grand Jury Investigation into Stroger Administration
Commissioner Peraica is quoted in this story about the subpoena of county financial audit documents as part of an apparent grand jury investigation.
Uh-oh….stay tuned for more on this developing story.
Horrible, Horrible Poll Numbers for Stroger
Todd Stroger might want to start thinking about a new line of work, as new poll numbers put his approval rating in the sub-basement:
Battered for championing Cook County’s sales tax increase and for hiring friends and relatives, Board President Todd Stroger heads into the election season with a strikingly low job-approval rating and thin support from voters, a Tribune/WGN poll has found.
Only 1 in 10 Cook County voters approve of the job he is doing, and just as few want to see him re-elected following a first term marked by tax and hiring controversies, the poll found. The numbers are lower than the 13 percent Gov. Rod Blagojevich had just months before his December arrest on federal corruption charges.
No doubt his staunch support of higher taxes for Cook County citizens hasn’t helped his poll numbers.
Amazing what happens when you stick your finger in the eyes of those you’re supposed to represent, eh?
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.
Ethics Probe into WYCC “Political Videos”
Chi-Town Daily News carries this story of a probe being opened into WYCC (the taxpayer-funded PBS station at the City Colleges of Chicago) over the production of blatantly political video content for the station:
Under orders from then-Chancellor Wayne Watson, the PBS television station at City Colleges of Chicago used its budget to produce free videos of powerful politicians and friends of the chancellor, an internal college e-mail shows.
The political programs, dating between 2002 and 2006, spawned a state ethics investigation and figure into a new federal lawsuit that alleges the publicly funded WYCC television station violated the terms of its government grant funding and broke federal tax rules for charities.
When the station’s former manager complained about the political projects, she was fired, according to the lawsuit.
The political programs showcased golf events, a fundraiser and a “State Senate California Trip” in connection with then-State Senate President Emil Jones. Then-Ald. Todd Stroger and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, among others, also were featured in programs.
Kudos to the state Office of the Inspector General for opening an investigation into this matter — and we look forward to seeing the results, especially since the TV station gets considerable funding from already-strapped federal and state taxpayers:
Last year, WYCC got $865,000 in federal grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $116,000 from the Illinois Arts Council, according to budget documents.
Stroger Administration Phone Records Released
A few weeks ago, the Better Government Association sued the Stroger Administration to force the administration to release phone records related to former patronage worker Tony Cole — the former busboy with a troubled past hired to a nice county contract, who somehow was tied to the firing of Stroger cousin/county CFO Donna Dunnings.
As the Chicago Tribune reports, those phone records have been released:
Records released Tuesday by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s office show that up to 18 calls a day were made between the government cell phone of a patronage worker and the personal cell phone of Stroger’s cousin, the county’s former chief financial officer.
Stroger dumped both his cousin, Donna Dunnings, and Tony Cole, a former steakhouse busboy with a criminal record, amid the burgeoning scandal in April. Stroger at the time said only that he feared Cole, who worked briefly as Dunnings’ personal assistant, would make “explosive” allegations about her.
The county phone records suggest regular communication between Cole and Dunnings, both of whom have denied a personal relationship. The hundreds of calls documented include a 46-minute phone call that began at 3:30 a.m. Christmas Day, as well as six phone calls on New Year’s Eve and Day.
Dunnings did not return phone calls seeking comment, and an attempt to reach Cole via e-mail failed.
The Last Line of Defense Against the Tax Hikers
Filed under: Campaign News, Reform, Taxes, Todd Stroger
It’s no secret that some of the other Republican commissioners on the county board get annoyed by Tony Peraica.
He calls it like it is — whether you are a Republican or a Democrat — and they don’t like that.
He puts the good of the Cook County taxpayers above the good of the party, and they don’t like that.
He is the only county commissioner who has been consistent in his support for tax relief, fighting hundreds of millions in new borrowing and utilizing county board meetings to shine sunlight on no-bid contracts and waste.
They don’t like any of that.
So they passed an ordinance aimed directly aimed at preventing Tony from running for both his commissioner’s seat and county board president. Not only would it slap down Tony — they thought — it would also help their liberal Democrat-turned-”Republican” Paul Vallas coast through a primary election.
So, the Republicans in Cook County tried to silence their biggest champion of reform and tax relief in favor of a liberal Democrat?
You bet.
Now, as Kristen McQueary writes this morning, Tony’s fellow commissioners are realizing that their plan backfired.
Paul Vallas decided not to run. And none of the commissioners are now allowed, by law, to run for both their commissioner’s seat and the county board president post.
It should be noted that Peraica himself supported the above ordinance. Because, what they don’t realize is that Tony’s actions on the county board aren’t driven by his desire for hire office. His actions are driven by his desire to be a good commissioner who serves his constituents and actually reforms the county.
Yes, he has run for higher office — but his campaigns have been based on the same message of honest reform that he has carried as a commissioner. The goal has always been to reform Cook County.
Tony is now focused on running for re-election to his commissioner’s seat — and the Republicans’ actions have unknowlingly made his re-election campaign as important as any countywide race in Cook County.
How?
Simple: Forrest Claypool is retiring. Mike Quigley moved on to Congress. Both of those individuals were two of Tony’s most consistent tax relief teammates on the board.
Larry Suffredin — who also votes for tax relief at least some of the time (although he did vote for the massive Stroger sales tax hike) is probably running for county board president, which means he’ll have to resign from the board.
That leaves Tony as the last line of defense against the tax hike coalition on the board.
And that means his 16th District race is as important for taxpayers in Orland Park and Park Ridge as it is for those in Brookfield and Westchester.
They tried to silence Tony Peraica, but have instead made his campaign more important than ever.
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):
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