The New Foibles Of Todd Stroger, Part 2

Lame duck Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has been on a spending spree - on the taxpayer’s dime nonetheless. After a failed re-election campaign bid in the Democratic primary, he decided to put his campaign spokeswoman on county payroll as his deputy chief of staff. Carla Oglesby left her public relations firm, CGC Communications in February for the $116,000 year county job.

Fox News Chicago learned 10 days after Oglesby was hired, Stroger paid her firm $24,975 - just $25 dollars short of an amount that would require approval by the county board. “It’s embarrassing for this county again and embarrassing for [Stroger],” John Daley, Cook County commissioner (and Mayor Daley’s brother) told the Sun Times. Daley and other commissioners are calling for a hiring freeze and pressuring Oglesby to resign.

Earlier this week, Stroger was criticized for using taxpayer money to redecorate his office as he finishes his last eight months in office. A Stroger spokesman confirmed a new desk and floor-to-ceiling cabinet were delivered with the possibility of more items to come. The cost of renovating Oglesby’s new office was $1,132.80, according to the county’s Facilities Management Department.

Previously

Post by: Sean Stillmaker