Will Politics Play a Role in the New County Health Board?

By Kevin Robinson in News on Apr 29, 2008 2:53PM

Remember that independent board that is supposed to assume control of Cook County's Health Services Bureau? The one that is supposed to separate politics from public health care delivery? Turns out, it might not be so independent after all.

Of the 20 names submitted to Stroger to fill the nine slots on the independent board, 16 have made campaign contributions to Illinois candidates, including Stroger himself, according to the Sun-Times. Only four—Quin Golden, formerly of the state Department of Public Health; attorney Barbara Hillman; Heather O'Donnell of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability; and James Stukel, former president of the University of Illinois—have never given funds to an Illinois campaign. Stroger spokeswoman Ibis Antongiorgi said that politics won't be part of the process, adding that it's "incorrect and illegal" to "infer that there is a direct connection between contributions to elected officials and the names submitted," and that "a donation to an elected official is an act of free speech."

Stroger is expected to announce his picks later this week, although he could reject all of them, and the county board will either approve or deny those picks.

Image by Paco Seoane