Todd Stroger, the soon-to-be-unemployed Cook County Board President, is being called upon to fight Carla Oglesby's unemployment claims. Oglesby was arrested last month on charges of fraud and official misconduct after allegedly steering no-bid county contracts to her private public relations firm. more ›

Losing a county-wide election by a staggering margin, having one of his cronies arrested on fraud charges, these are the things that should leave a politician wondering how safe he might be in the eyes of both the public and prosecutors. But no, outgoing Cook County President Todd Stroger appears to be hellbent on making sure that people with political connections have a safe paycheck place to work. more ›

In addition to giving jobs to friends, Todd Stroger is now also giving them furniture. According to the Sun Times, the Stroger administration blew $13,000 on new furniture for childhood pal Eugene Mullins. Mullins, Stroger’s chief spokesman, denied the price tag, but then said he didn’t know how much it cost and denied the Sun Times entry to his office to photograph the desk and chairs. While Todd might not have the receipts, the company he purchased the items from does. Scott Freeman, owner of Simple Distributors, said the order was taken over the phone and delivered in February. The company still hasn’t seen payment. Stroger appeared this morning on "The Don & Roma Show" on WLS-890 AM this morning in which he: said he won't run for mayor; speculated on Rahm & Jesse Jackson Jr.'s meeting; and called the furniture issue a non-story. more ›

In the shadow of Todd Stroger's swan song of hiring and no-bid contracts to friends and family, the Finance Committee of the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a host of ethics reforms in the county, including barring people that have business before the county from making campaign contributions. The board also took aim at county tax appeals commissioner Joe Berrios, who is running for county assessor. The reforms require candidates for assessor or Board of Review to return campaign contributions that exceed $1,500 from people that are appealing their tax bills. The reforms also bar public officials from conducting political activity while acting in the official capacity of the county, or using county resources. more ›

We're shocked - shocked, we tell you - to learn this morning that outgoing Cook County President Todd Stroger has been accused of hiring shenanigans. A motion in an ongoing lawsuit brought by attorney Michael Shakman alleges Stroger has violated a political hiring ban 157 times. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

Federal hiring monitor Mary Robinson issued a report this week detailing something that the rest of Cook County has been well aware of for some time now: Todd Stroger has been using his position as Cook County Board President to hire and fire people based on political allegiances. Robinson noted in her report to the federal court that is overseeing hiring in Cook County and the City of Chicago that while progress has been made on removing political influence from the hiring process in Cook County, “since losing his primary bid to run for reelection, the president has aggressively used his legal authority to make unilateral exempt hiring and firing decisions to reward supporters and part company with those who were disloyal.” more ›

It looks like even though he's still in the "Screw It" Zone, lame duck Cook County Board President Todd Stroger got a reality check and has pulled the controversial appointment of Vincent Williams, a former Stroger campaign chairman. Stroger had tried to appoint Williams to a seat on the Board of Zoning Appeals - worth $38,000 a year - but was met with stiff resistance from commissioners. As a result, Stroger asked the board to indefinitely defer their consideration of the appointment. Republican Commissioner Peter Sliverstri quipped, “As far as I’m concerned, it can wait until the next administration." Ouch. more ›

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Screw It Zone. Presented for your consideration: One Mr. Todd Stroger, (soon to be former) Cook County Board President. Stroger ascended to his seat in a Machiavellian deal with the devil, taking power in the second most populous county in the United States after his father succumbed to a stroke. But all is not well in the heartland. more ›

The election to replace Cook County Board President is still five months away, but Todd Stroger's still in the captain's seat. And that means that his administration is still in charge when it comes to contracts and hiring. According to the Sun-Times, the Stroger administration quickly hired and payed two contractors to help promote energy efficiency and composting in Cook County (you remember those campaigns, right? Right?), even though they aren't listed in state or county business registries, as required by law. more ›

Soon to be former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger vetoed an ordinance yesterday that would impose a hiring freeze on his administration during his last months in power, and bar him from giving pay raises. The county board is likely to override the veto, but Stroger says he's prepared to challenge the action in court. The county board passed the ordinance last week, along with two others that require him to report all personnel changes, raises and contracts that have not been previously approved by commissioners. Stroger's financial shennanegans have been the source of controversy of late, as he's financed new furniture for his office and increased the pay of people in his administration by tens of thousands of dollars. more ›

With just seven months left in the captain's chair, Todd Stroger has entered the "Screw It Zone," prompting new restrictions by the Cook County Board. more ›