Opening a Thursday news conference, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger boasted that after just 18 months on the job, he had successfully fulfilled his three main campaign promises:
• Turning over control of the juvenile center to the chief judge;
• Giving the hospital system to an independent board;
• And creating an independent inspector general’s office.
Trouble is, Stroger didn’t make most of the promises.
Read More...For decades, the Cook County hospital system has been crippled by politics—doctors, administrators, funding and programs have long needed the approval of political overseers before becoming part of the structure.
But in a matter of weeks, the troubled health care operation will be taken over by a group of nine outsiders, described by many as independent and non-political.
Campaign finance records show that the 20 candidates to fill those nine slots have contributed more than $200,000 to various Illinois politicians in the last nine years. Of that, they’ve delivered more than $25,000 to Cook County officials—half donated to campaign committees supporting County Board President Todd Stroger and various members of the County Board.
Read More...Cook County Board President Todd Stroger appears to have enough votes to pass a series of tax increases today.
But it remains unclear whether he is willing to make the concessions needed to close the deal.
County budget deal ready if Stroger agrees
Commissioners and labor union leaders say Stroger will get the votes if he:
• • Scales back his plan to increase spending 7 percent and add 1,100 new employees to the payroll.
Read More...Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is laying the groundwork to turn to taxpayers for more money to help in his struggling public relations efforts.
In a proposal to the County Board, Stroger’s hospital chief asks for $120,000 for a five-month contract with a clout-heavy PR firm to spread the good word about the hospital and its services.
Read More...Finger pointed and voice raised, Ald. Ed Smith fired what he believed was an impassioned insult at Cook County Recorder Gene Moore.
“Todd Stroger endorsed him!” Smith said of Moore during a debate before last week’s Democratic race for recorder. “Tell them! Todd Stroger endorsed you!”
The Cook County Board president’s name wasn’t anywhere to be found on countywide ballots, but his name repeatedly came up throughout the campaigns for recorder, state’s attorney and the Board of Review.
Read More...BUDGET CUTS | ‘Bureaucrats, paper-pushers at the top of food chain were protected’
As Cook County Board President Todd Stroger looked for jobs to cut during this year’s budget battle, union leaders and critics chanted for him to “chop from the top.”
But when the budget was finally passed, many complained that Stroger had cut thousands of lower-paid, frontline workers in order to protect higher-paid, politically connected patronage workers.
