Results tagged “toddstroger”

After a summer filled with debate amongst the Cook County Commissioners in regards to the sales tax rollback, Board President Todd Stroger's veto, and the commissioners inability to garner enough votes to override said veto, the state legislature has gotten involved. Yesterday, both the House (by a 66-49 vote) and the Senate (by a 49-1 vote) passed a bill that sets the new requirement for a veto override at three-fifths of the commissioners (11) rather than the current requirement of fourth-fifths (14). Now all that's left is for Gov. Quinn to sign it. The bill was specifically aimed at Stroger and the tax rollback. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), said, "This is a great win for taxpayers in Cook County." Stroger spokeswoman Chris Geovanis said, "We're disappointed that the legislature chose not to use logic and decided to change the rules in the middle of the game." Stroger has previously said he would fight any such legislation in court if it was passed.

Cook County Board President and local punchline Todd "The Toddler" Stroger is taking a page out of Mayor Daley's political playbook: holding the line on taxes. In a speech to county commissioners this week, Stroger touted his proposed $3 billion budget as maintaining the same level of service without raising taxes. "The executive budget I place before you is balanced, no delays of payment cycles, no long term borrowing to fund operations, no use of reserve funds to pay our bills. Likewise my budget plan for 2010 includes no new taxes, none," Stroger said. "Today, as our national and state governments face terrible deficits, and as many local governments in Illinois find themselves in dire financial shape, Cook County is relatively strong," he said. The proposed budget will actually increase spending by about $80 million, nearly four percent. Those costs include covering previously unmet obligations to employee pension funds, an increase of $35 million to the county sheriff's office, and $22 million in employ pay increases.

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:

The Cook County Board of Commissioners has tried, and failed, several times to roll back the 10.25 percent county-wide sales tax. Yesterday, the Illinois General Assembly took a swing at it, as well. The legislation, which would have cut the sales tax from 1.75 percent to .75 percent, fell six votes short of passage. "This is going to really devastate all aspects of our government," Todd Stroger, who personally went to Springfield to lobby for the tax hike told the Tribune . "I'm trying to make the case for the county."

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.

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.

First there was the low approval rating and then his toughest competition yet. Now, Todd Stroger will feel even more heat as a probe into county finances has grown. Citing a "current grand jury investigation," the Cook County state's attorney's office subpoenaed 2008 financial records from Stroger's office. According to the Sun-Times:

An ethics measure approved by the Cook County Board yesterday will require county contractors and lobbyists to disclose the names of relatives who are elected municipal, county or state officials according to Clout Street.

Poor Todd Stroger. He's had a rough couple of weeks. There was that whole tax-rollback-veto brouhaha and then he found out fewer people approved of his job than approved of Blago. Now, an employee who just got the ax from Stroger's office is accusing the embattled Cook County Board President of firing him out of revenge. As Carol Marin and Lisa Donovan report for the Sun-Times and NBC 5, Byron Steele was fired from his job as First Deputy Director of Cook County’s Department of Facilities Management yesterday morning. Byron alleges it's because his brother, Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele has voted for the tax rollback both times. Not only that, but the Steele's mother is Bobbie Steele who served as interim president of the Cook County Board in the interval between John Stroger's stroke and Todd's election.

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."

And you thought Obama had approval rating issues. A new poll released by WGN and the Chicago Tribune claims that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has an abysmal approval rating of 10 percent, which is even lower than Blago's was last fall before his arrest. The poll was made of 300 registered Cook County voters and a full 70 percent of those polled disapproved of Stroger and 72 percent said they don't want to see him re-elected.

The competition for Cook County Board President just got a little stiffer. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis has announced - as expected - he'll be running for the spot next year. Davis made the announcement last night, while also celebrating his birthday, but side-stepped questions about whether or not he would have supported the tax rollback that Stroger vetoed, saying, "Taxpayers in Cook County are leery of paying the highest sales tax in the nation, and they want to know where their money is going." The growing field of competitors for the President slot also includes Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and Terrence J. O'Brien, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board president. [ABC 7]

This morning, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger appeared on Fox's Good Day Chicago alongside Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims. Sims, of course, was the swing-vote whose change of heart led to the failure to repeal Stroger's veto of the county tax rollback. While our favorite highlight is the look Jan Jeffcoat gives Stroger at the 6:08 mark while David Novarro sparrs with Stroger. Another one worth noting comes at 8:24 when Stroger vehemently grades himself: "I've done an A+ [job]."

The Cook County Commission's bid to repeal President Todd Stroger's veto of the tax rollback has fallen short. Commissioner Tony Peraica, one of the most Stroger critics on the board, has come down hard on Commissioner Deborah Sims via his Twitter feed, indicating that her change of heart was the difference maker:

One thing about Daley and his pals that you can count on is that they tend to know what they're doing when they say they will or won't do something. So it came as a bit of a surprise that 33rd Ward Alderman Dick Mell told the Tribune he would call the selection meeting to replace former Commissioner Roberto Maldonado sooner than Tuesday's meeting. The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to roll back the sales tax increase in July, before Maldanado left the board to become 26th Ward Alderman. Stroger vetoed that bill, but it looked like the board might have the 14 votes it takes to override that veto.

• Adding fuel to the talk that Sam Zell's short reign at the Tribune is almost over, yesterday Trib bondholders filed a motion to probe into the billionaire's takeover of the newspaper.
• DAMMIT! Our bid was $39,999,999.
• Governor Quinn has vetoed a campaign finance bill, saying that it "should go back to the drawing board." Critics have complained the bill has too many loopholes.

In yet another shocking expose, it turns out that patronage workers (specifically those that are exempt from Shakman oversight) were given large pay raises between 2006 and 2009. Those workers, 28 forest preserve employees, had all contributed financially to the campaign funds of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger; his late father, former board President John Stroger; or the 8th Ward Regular Democratic Organization.

The challengers are starting to line up to take on embattled Cook County Board President Todd Stroger in next year's election. With Stroger already seeking reelection and others like Toni Preckwinkle announcing their intention of challenging Stroger, it'll be a crowded field. At a speech yesterday announcing the kickoff of his petition drive for a place on the ballot, Davis said, “You can't operate an enterprise on a patronage system. You cannot operate an enterprise because it does not belong to you, it belongs to the people." [FOX 32]

Conventional wisdom around Cook County is that Todd Stroger is toast in the next election. But voter sentiment might not be the only thing at play in the primaries. That's because, according to an investigation by the Daily Herald and the Better Government Association, county contractors have not only benefited from contracts that weren't the best price, they've also been making contributions to Todd Stroger's campaign. Of 11 contracts for professional services, only three went to the low-bidder, and all 11 went to politically connected businesses. Two contracts in particular stand out, according to the Herald, because they will be paid substantially more than the original price quoted:

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger made good on his promise to veto a second attempt by the county board to rollback the 1.75 percent sales tax by half a percentage point. Back in May the county board voted to cut the sales tax by the same amount, which Stroger also vetoed. Then, county commissioners couldn't muster the 14 votes needed to override the veto, leaving the sales tax hike, enacted amid much controversy and hand wringing last fall, intact. The sales tax increase has been so unpopular, county-wide, that a group of suburbs in the northwest have even voted to secede from the county.

In a surprise move, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has reversed course and now says he won't veto the new measure the Cook County Board passed yesterday, decriminalizing marijuana in unincorporated parts of Cook County. According to Chicago Breaking News:

In a move that's caught almost everyone by surprise, the Cook County Board yesterday voted to decriminalize marijuana in very small amounts in unincorporated parts of Cook County. Under the legislation passed, sheriffs can arrest someone possessing less than 10 grams of marijuana on misdemeanor charges or simply issue a $200 ticket. The measure was introduced by Commissioner Earlean Collins who admitted personal motivations: her grandson was arrested for having a small amount of marijuana. Collins, though, made a salient point: arresting marijuana offenders is crowding jails. According to the Sun-Times, she said:

• The Tribune reports Roman Szabelski, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, has been appointed to take over day-to-day operations of Burr Oak Cemetery in the wake of the horrific discoveries of the past week.
• The Reader's Ben Joravsky checked out the Chicago 2016 neighborhood meeting last night. What did he think? In his words: "I Tried."
• A man from Lombard was sentenced to 18 months in prison for trying to set up a dog fight for his pit bull. The Chicagoist Intern does not approve.

The field for next year's Cook County Board President race continues to get a little smaller. Cook County Assessor James Houlihan announced today he wouldn't be running for the office after all. So far, the field against Todd Stroger consists of Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) - read our interview with her, Part 1 and Part 2 - and others either in or considering a run include: U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, Clerk of the Court Dorothy Brown, Commissioner Larry Suffredin and Sheriff Tom Dart. [Sun-Times]

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]

• Police have arrested a man in connection with an attempted assault on a doctor in her office earlier this week; the man was turned in by his girlfriend.
• Has Mayor Daley ditched Stroger for Preckwinkle in the upcoming Cook County Board President race?
• A quick thinking paramedic helped save a woman who suffered a heart attack at the Taste of Chicago earlier today.

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.

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.

Former Cook County patronage worker Tony Cole spoke to the press yesterday about his frustrations with how he's been treated by Todd Stroger, his friends and his family in the wake of the county's most recent hiring scandal. "President Stroger should have never fired me," Cole told the Sun-Times. "He wasn't my father. He wasn't my dad he just gave me an opportunity," Cole told ABC7.

Tony Cole, the former steakhouse busboy that county board president Todd Stroger hired to a $60,000 a year county job in spite of his felony convictions for check fraud, is back in the news. According to an investigation conducted by the Sun-Times, Cole continued to get paid by the county for time his spent in jail (the Cook County jail, no less!) between Nov. 19 and Nov. 21. Cole was incarcerated for violating the terms of an order of protection against an ex-girlfriend.