The feud between Cook County Board President-elect Toni Preckwinkle and outgoing board president Todd Stroger took an ugly turn during Tuesday's board meeting, as Cook County Commissioner Bill Beavers lashed out at Preckwinkle. more ›

Even though you have to go all the way back to Richard Ogilvie in 1966 to find the last Republican voted in as Cook County Board President, each election cycle there are always members of the area Republican Party willing to at least give it a shot, so with all the attention being focused lately on who's going to end Todd Stroger's political career we thought we would take a glance across the aisle. more ›

In an effort to increase transparency, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is releasing the tax returns he and his wife, Janine, filed in 2008 and 2009. If the other three candidates that are running for the seat don't as well, “it tells me there must be something they don’t want you to see,” he told the Tribune. The other Democratic candidates replied quickly to denying the request. more ›

A new Tribune/WGN poll puts Ald. Toni Preckwinkle at the head of the Cook County Board President pack but Todd Stroger has his own poll which shows a much tighter race. The Trib/WGN poll, conducted between January 16 and 20th of 503 likely voters in the Democratic primary shook out like so: more ›

Wallace “Gator” Bradley, the man responsible for the controversial fliers supporting incumbent Todd Stroger in the Cook County Board President contest, is promising more of the same as we close in on the February 2nd primary. Chicago Current caught up with Bradley earlier this week at a press conference in which U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush endorsed Stroger. Promising, “That ain’t the last thing you’re going to see," Bradley then connected some of the candidates to Holocaust deniers. more ›

Fliers containing racist language and accusing U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and Dorothy Brown are "splitting the black vote 4 the Irish 2 win" are being distributed by a group called Soldiers 4 Stroger, alleging to support incumbent president Todd Stroger. Chicago Current reports: more ›

Any one of the candidates running for Cook County Board President would probably love to receive the endorsement of Mayor Daley. Unfortunately for them, he's not planning on making one. Over the weekend he told WBBM Radio that he wasn't going to endorse any candidate and played the "what the press will say card" once again: more ›

With the February 2 primary fast approaching, Todd Stroger find himself at the wrong end of a new WGN/Tribune poll. The new poll, which surveyed 502 "likely voters" found Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown in the lead with 29 percent, followed by Ald. Toni Preckwinkle who had 20 percent of the support. Stroger came in third with 14 percent, just ahead of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District president Terrence O'Brien (11 percent). A quarter of those polled claimed to be undecided. Adding to Stroger's problems is the low 16 percent approval rating he received as part of the poll, just barely an increase over the last approval rating he got from a Trib poll. As for the other candidates, it seemed the biggest obstacle for Preckwinkle and O'Brien was recognition; only 62 percent of those polled knew Ald. Preckwinkle and O'Brien's recognition rate was about 50 percent. As for the hot-button issue of race in this election, the Trib reports: more ›

What was supposed to be a forum for the four remaining Democratic candidates for Cook County Board President turned into a Player Hater's Ball as the incumbent, President Todd Stroger, was a no-show, opening the flood gates for the remaining three candidates - Terry O'Brien, president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), and Cook County Clerk of Courts Dorothy Brown - to unleash some verbal attacks on Stroger. The S-T provides a sampling of what each candidate said about Stroger. As for Stroger's absence? His campaign manager, Vincent Williams, originally told the Sun-Times, "I haven't spoken to the president today, so I don't have an answer." However, this morning, Williams issued the following statement (via email) on behalf of the Stroger campaign: more ›

With today being the drop deadline for next year's elections, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis has announced he will forgo a run at Cook County Board President and instead focus on getting re-elected to his current position, Congressman of Illinois' 7th District, and office he has held since 1996. more ›

There were a pair of debates last night of interest to voters with the approaching primaries in February. Of particular interest to local voters is the The Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA) Cook County Board President forum. ABC 7 has video of the complete forum that you can check out here. The participants were current Democrat candidates Pres. Todd Stroger, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, and MWRD Pres. Terrence O'Brien, Green Party candidate (and former No Games Chicago leader) Tom Tresser, and only one Republican candidate, John Garrido. more ›

• A Naperville man has been charged with trying to bribe a "city agent," who the Sun-Times reveals to be Ald. Ike Carothers.
• GOP candidates for governor aren't the only ones debating tonight; the candidates for Cook County Board President will participate in a forum that gets underway at 6 pm. You can view it live online at ABC 7.
• Two men have been arrested in the shooting death of DePaul student Francisco “Frankie” Valencia from last weekend.

A new wrinkle has developed in the race for Cook County Board President as Tom Tresser, the man behind the No Games Chicago group that opposed the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid, has announced his candidacy. The group "Friends of Tom Tresser" sent out an email to supporters yesterday indicating Tresser intended to announce this morning a run "for high local public office." It's since been learned that the office is Todd Stroger's. Said Tresser in the email, "I do this as a result of almost thirty years of civic work in the city and, most specifically, my last two years of volunteer community work." The email continues: more ›

As we mentioned on Monday, Todd Stroger got his endorsement this week from a large group of black ministers that worry other black candidates in the Cook County board president race will split the vote, guaranteeing that Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien, the lone white candidate in the race, will win. “This community needs a unified front to address the issues that are pressing against our people,” said senior bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. more ›

Todd Stroger, he of low approval ratings and general malaise across the populace, is finally getting some support. Stroger will get an endorsement from a group of 300 African-American ministers today - Minister Louis Farrakhan is among the most high-profile members - in his race for re-election next year. Worried the four black candidates will split the vote, paving the way for the lone white candidate - Cook County Water Reclamation District President Terry O'Brien - to win, the ministers want a "consensus" black candidate. But two of Strogers challengers - Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, both of whom are black - aren't buying it, saying most of the group planned to support Stroger anyway. more ›

Sure, we've talked to Ald. Preckwinkle. And there are several other options of opponents the Toddler will have to face in his campaign to keep his position for Cook County Board President. And while we don't make a habit of officially endorsing political candidates here (save the Leftcagoist comments) we're finding it hard not to root for YouTube user icephoenix23, especially after watching this video declaring his candidacy. Watch the whole thing. Trust us. more ›

With Todd Stroger's approval rating apparently lagging badly, the field seems wide open for the four challengers who have already announced their candidacy against Stroger: Clerk of courts Dorothy Brown, Congressman Danny Davis, Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's Terry O'Brien. WBEZ takes a look at the early jostling for front-runner status as well as how race has become a factor, including the involvement of State Rep. James Meeks who has been busy organizing the black candidates. Says Meeks, "Four African Americans who are running in an election, and one white candidate who runs, the four African Americans cancel each other out." more ›

Saying that “it just wasn’t the right time for me for a number of reasons,” county commissioner Larry Suffredin, subject of perennial speculation about his designs on the board president's chair, announced that he would seek only re-election of his current seat. And while Todd Stroger has said that he'll be seeking re-election to the seat his father willed him, Michael Sneed (and we all know how credible her political ramblings are) hears otherwise. more ›

Sheesh, the race for county board president certainly seems crowded, at least among the Democrats. Toni Preckwinkle, Dorothy Brown and Todd Stroger are running for sure, but the list of people that smell blood in the water is long. Danny Davis has formed an exploratory committee, and Larry Suffredin, and Tom Dart. You can add Terrence J. O'Brien, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board president to the list of candidates. "I want to do for Cook County Government, what I have done for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. So, I am officially announcing my candidacy for President of Cook County Board," O'Brien said in a prepared statement issued to the press on Friday. more ›

Forget the Governor's race or the stampede to oust Sen. Burris. One race that's just as intriguing that's heating up for the next election seems to be for the Cook County Board President's spot. Incumbent Todd Stroger's list of opponents seems to have grown longer with the addition of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who has announced he is forming an exploratory committee to look into running for the position. Said Davis, "One could say that Cook County government, after the illness and death of President John Stroger, has experienced a crisis in leadership." If Davis jumps into the fray, he'll join Tony Preckwinkle (who we recently interviewed - keep your eyes peeled for that one) and Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, both of whom have already announced their candidacy for the spot. Republican commissioner Tony Peraica, who ran against Storger in 2006, has yet to announce if he'll run though Demorcat Forrest Claypool has already announced he won't run, instead completely leaving the Board. [CBS 2] more ›

The Sun-Times reports that U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis is forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for Cook County Board president early next year. The field is already crowded with at least six other officials showing interest. The Chicago Reader has a roundup of the potentials, which includes, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and of course Todd Stroger. Currently there is no clear candidate for the Republican primary. more ›

In a surprise move, Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool announced yesterday afternoon that he would not be running for County Board President. Claypool, who ran as a reformer against John Stroger in the 2006 Democratic primary, said in an email to supporters that he has "decided not to be a candidate again for Cook County board president. Nor will I be a candidate for a third term on the board." He has also canceled his June 30 fundraiser, and "will be returning all checks." In an early May poll, Claypool was ahead of both incumbent Todd Stroger and 4th Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle. more ›

The Sun-Times is reporting that Paul Vallas won't be making a return trip to Chicago to run for Cook County Board President. Instead, he'll remain in New Orleans where he's currently heading up the Recovery School District in New Orleans. Vallas had also considered switching political parties and running for board president as a Republican. more ›

• Cook County Board President Todd Stroger says he won't fight a war of secession against the towns that voted to leave Cook County, mainly to avoid county taxes, and create their own county. Stroger warned, though, that Barrington, Hanover and Palatine townships might be in over their heads. "But, what they do need to know is when they do that, they will have to have their own jail," he said. "They'll have to have their own elected officials; clerk, sheriff and all that. It's not going to save them money, it's going to cost them more money." [Daily Herald]
• Stroger fired human resources assistant and former University of Georgia basketball player Tony Cole, after finding out that Cole neglected to mention a felony conviction for writing bad checks. Stroger personally hired Cole in October 2008, overlooking his various misdemeanor and felony offenses in the past, since Cole vowed to get his life back on track. He was hired as an administrative assistant in the budget department and had already been promoted to the HR position in the highway department and given a raise. Employees are worried now, since he had access to their personal information. [Sun-Times]
• The Todd-ler wants your vote again. He announced (again) that he plans to run for re-election in 2010.

According to a new Sun-Times analysis of last Tuesday's county-wide primary races, those candidates that attempted character assassination of their rivals by associating them with unpopular Cook County Board President Todd Stroger lost, almost across the board. Stroger's approval ratings are basically in the same territory as President Bush's—somewhere between rock bottom and Herbert Hoover—so the prevailing logic was that if you could associate a candidate with Stroger, it would be like transferring his unpopularity onto them. Makes sense, right? more ›

It wasn't all about roasting pigs out in the 'burbs this week: more ›

Just days after the death of his father, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has indicated that he may agree to give control of the county hospitals to an independent agency. Stroger's chief of staff Lance Tyson told Crain's Chicago Business "the intent is to take health services for the poor out of the sphere of politics and put it into a sphere of greater business expertise." The proposal to turn the county's health care system over to an independent body came last October, when a committee of business and health care executives commissioned to study the systemreleased their recommendations. more ›

Former Cook County Board President John Stroger has died, Mayor Daley announced this morning. He was 78. more ›

SHOOTING: Two homeless men shot in a 24 hour span in Uptown -- they appear to be unrelated. In more shooting news (why is there so much?!): Police have two "persons of interest" in custody Sunday morning after two teenagers were shot in a playlot on the South Side in the Woodlawn neighborhood, blocks from the University of Chicago campus. TRAINS: Our dear friend warns us: This is why you NEVER put headphones in... more ›

Bill Clinton was in town today to sign books at Borders on North Michigan. A woman arrested for battery of an off-duty police officer claims that the arresting officer offered the cop filing the complaint a "free shot" while she was cuffed in the squad car. She also claims that the next day she was pulled over as a joke and let go. What is he smoking? Cook County Board President Todd Stroger says... more ›