Progress Illinois

For those who haven't been following it closely, here's the latest news on the Democratic primary candidates for Cook County board president. As you'll soon learn, it's a messy, messy affair at the moment. 

Danny Davis
For months now, the 7th District congressman has insisted that he is "in" for county board president, despite simultaneously circulating petitions for reelection to Congress.  During the third quarter, Davis transferred $130,000 from his federal campaign account to his state coffers -- indicating a certain degree of seriousness.  Last Monday, he officially filed for the board president race.  But doubts about his candidacy persist, and for good reason.  As the Tribune's John Byrne reported, he also filed petitions for Congress yesterday. 

So what's the next move?  As Cook County Clerk David Orr told WTTW last week, Davis has until November 9 to drop out of one of the two races.  For the slew of candidates preparing to run for his House seat -- State Rep. Annazette Collins, Chicago Alds. Robert Fioretti and Sharon Dixon, Jim Ascot, Clarence Clemons, and Joyce Washington -- that decision couldn't come soon enough.

Todd Stroger
The incumbent board president created some suspense yesterday afternoon, waiting until an hour before the filing deadline to present his 22,000 petitions to the county clerk.  Not surprisingly, he had a tough time finding folks to circulate on his behalf.  From the Sun-Times:

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In the crowded field of Democratic contenders for Cook County board president, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward) has stood out from the pack when it comes to defining and articulating her platform.  For months now, before potential voters and press, she has made her reform agenda quite clear.  Meanwhile, some of the other candidates still haven't provided their full view on the issues.

Most recently, Preckwinkle appeared on ABC 7 this past weekend, where she reiterated three ways she would break from Todd Stroger's administration: begin to roll back the sales tax hike gradually; make permanent the Cook County Health System's independent governing board; and expand jail diversion programs already being administered by the Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart's office (including the Day Reporting Center, Sheriff's Work Alternative Program, and the Sheriff's Boot Camp). Watch as she talks at length about the last priority and emphasizes that back-end support for the formerly incarcerated should be a key component of any strategy to limit the county's jail population. It's a point she's been making for months:

For more depth, you can check out Preckwinkle's recent sit-down with Jeff Berkowitz, who has also interviewed incumbent Todd Stroger and challengers Terry O'Brien and Dorothy Brown.

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is not having a very good week. On Monday, court-appointed hiring watchdog Mary Robinson released a new report which found that the Stroger administration is violating its own anti-patronage policies by giving favored applicants a leg up.  (Specific practices include: providing test answers, waiving interview requirements, and ignoring criminal backgrounds.) Things got worse last night, when Cook County prosecutors subpoenaed some county financial records. What started as a probe into Stroger's controversial hiring of Tony Cole has apparently widened into what the Tribune is calling "questions about how the administration spent money and accounted for it."

As we wrote yesterday, reform in Cook County must begin at the top. To that end, board president candidate Toni Preckwinkle quickly released a statement this morning blasting Stroger and outlining how she would change the business of hiring if elected:

"Cook County government and its hiring process lack both transparency and accountability. Too often, county positions are not filled by the most qualified candidates, but by the most politically connected ones. Political influence in the hiring process has obstructed the efficiency of County government and strained the morale of County employees," said Preckwinkle. A candidate for Cook County Board President, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (4th) has been vocal on the need to institute transparency and legitimacy in Cook County's hiring process, including all Shakman-exempt positions. [...]

"As Cook County Board President, I would work closely with hiring monitor Mary Robinson to ensure that policy practices are in place to prevent subversions of the decree." said Toni Preckwinkle. "Additionally, I will examine the hiring records over the last four years to determine if the Shakman decree has been honored."

As far as we know, none of the other Democratic candidates have statements out yet, but it is encouraging to see Preckwinkle take the lead.

Cook County politicians have been talking a lot about reform this week. First, a handful of officials unveiled a proposal that would finally force lobbyists to be upfront about their contracting connections. Then, suburban Commissioner Liz Gorman (R-Orland Park) made the common-sense suggestion that county employees shouldn't be handing out contracts to their relatives. The capstone, however, was the report (PDF) released by Mary Robinson — the court-ordered monitor keeping tabs on Cook County’s expensive patronage habit — as part of her ongoing hiring investigation. Not surprisingly, Robinson found that taxpayers are still forking over loads of cash to keep the county’s payroll padded with under-qualified, yet politically-connected, workers.

This is nothing new.  Reform-minded commissioners have, for years now, occasionally launched incremental efforts to clean up county government. Meanwhile, local reporters have regularly exposed the waste so common in this bureaucracy. But what's clear is that real change won't come until the board president's office makes a commitment to reform.  After all, even with her watching every hiring decision his administration makes, Robinson found that Todd Stroger's staffers continue to feed insiders answers on employment tests, allow favored applicants to skip job interviews entirely, and ignore criminal backgrounds. Stroger's brazen response? "[W]e don’t use clout in our system."

"Sunshine may be the great disinfectant," NBC 5's Steve Rhodes aptly pointed out yesterday, "but cockroaches are immune."  On that note, it was nice to see Democratic board president challenger and Chicago Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward) voice support for the lobbyist sunshine ordinance noted above.  From a press release:

"Transparency is essential for efficient and effective government," stated Alderman Preckwinkle. "Though lobbyists are an important part of the system, they need to be held accountable by the citizens. This initiative guarantees the transparency that ensures citizens are able to hold their government accountable." [...]

"This initiative is a significant advance towards instituting the real and responsible change that Cook County needs," said Alderman Preckwinkle.

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The latest from the 2010 electoral landscape ...

IL GOVERNOR

In addition to receiving the backing of the SEIU Illinois State Council (which sponsors this website), Gov. Pat Quinn also rolled out endorsements yesterday from numerous elected officials, including Rep. Jan Schakowsky.  Watch a video put together by the campaign with clips from the Schakowsky event:

Here are the additional Quinn supporters announced yesterday:

State Sen. Heather Steans
Former Illinois State Sen. William A. Marovitz
State Rep. Will Burns
State Rep. Harry Osterman
Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin
Chicago Ald. Joe Moore
Chicago Ald. Mary Ann Smith
Chicago Ald. and 44th Ward Committeeman Tom Tunney
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Debra Shore
Laura Ricketts, Co-Chair, Democratic National Committee LGBT Caucus
Brandon Neese, Co-Chair, 9th Congressional District Steering Committee
42nd Ward Committeeman John Corrigan
46th Ward Committeeman Tom Sharpe
48th Ward Committeewoman Carol Ronen
49th Ward Committeeman David Fagus

Furthermore, challenger Dan Hynes published his first Daily Kos diary late last week, introducing himself to members of that online community.  Read it here.

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This afternoon, Cook County's Democratic ward bosses wrapped up their second day of meetings with 2010 hopefuls eager to snag endorsements for the February 2 primaries.  In an election cycle ritual, numerous candidates flocked to a large conference room at the Allegro Hotel to make their pitch to the county's 50 ward and 30 suburban township committeemen. Below is a rundown on who got their political support.

U.S. Senate:

As we noted earlier today, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias emerged with a key party endorsement over his two competitors, Urban League President Cheryl Jackson and former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffamn.

Cook County Board President:

Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) was the first to leak the news that ... there wouldn't be any news in the Cook County Board Presidency race, tweeting:

There will be no slated candidate for Cook County Board President.

The Tribune quickly followed up, pointing out how big  of a snub that decision was for incumbent Board President Todd Stroger. Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward) issued a quick jab, calling the decision "extraordinary":

Several veteran Democrats said they can't remember the last time Democratic power brokers declined to endorse an incumbent facing a primary challenge ...

" I think it’s pretty extraordinary that an incumbent, especially an incumbent at this level, is not supported by the party," said Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), one of Stroger's opponents.

Watching the crowded field of five candidates duke it out should be very interesting.

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While it's unclear whether contract negotiations between UNITE-HERE Local 1 and Chicago's major hotel chains will prove fruitful, the union and the workers it represents at the Congress Hotel earned a significant victory at City Hall today. By a 16-3 vote, the Chicago City Council Finance Committee advanced a right-to-know notification law requiring hotels affected by a work stoppage to alert guests when they book rooms. According to the union, over 1,000 customers have complained about the Congress Hotel since the strike began six years ago, many because they were unaware of the labor dispute before they made their reservations.

Marc Gordon, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, argued in the hearing today that the bill is too broad. "This is not consumer protection," he said, as quoted by the Sun-Times. "It’s strictly an opportunity for the union to gain a tremendous, unfair, illegal advantage." Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward), also a candidate for Cook County Board President, hit back, blaming the industry for standing behind a renegade within their own midst:

PRECKWINKLE: What I wonder is ...  why haven't you all attempted to do anything about this renegade in your midst? [...]

I think it borders on cowardice.  If you care about the reputation of your industry, you would do everything you could do to bring this strike to an end and to bring these folks to the table.  I think they reflect badly on your industry -- I don't care if they're members of your organization or not -- they reflect very badly on your industry and I don't know why you haven't made it a priority to do something about them over the last six years.

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The Cook County Board President's race kicked off with a bang last night on Chicago's West Side.  Hundreds jammed into an auditorium at Malcom X College to watch four of the five Democratic nominees duke it out in a forum sponsored by WVON Radio (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terry O’Brien did not attend).

The main draw was incumbent Todd Stroger, whose introduction earned a standing ovation from portions of the crowd. Slightly defensive throughout the proceedings, Stroger joked that his biggest opponents this election cycle are the city's two daily newspapers. "As Cook County Board President, I've had to fight, and it's been a tough fight," he said at the outset. "But I have been taught by the best ... and I learned what is important about county government."

What accomplishments will Stroger tout on the trail? He noted that his office has passed three "balanced budgets" in three years (although last year's version was riddled with errors and relied on fearmongering to drum up support) and has kept the county's hospitals open in this tough economic climate. He also passionately defended his sales tax hike, arguing that the additional revenue is necessary to keep government services intact. And then there is his record of expanding contracting and other job opportunities for people of color, which he said in deflecting allegations of rampant patronage from critics on the board. He told the mostly African-American crowd that all the reformers want" is "your job."

The three other candidates on the stage offered competing visions for how county government should run.

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Well folks, here we go.  Tonight, WVON Radio will bring together the four current candidates for Cook County Board President, marking what appears to be the first public candidate forum of the 2010 political season.  From their announcement:

Confirmed candidates include: Cook County Board President Todd Stroger (incumbent); Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown; Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (4th); and U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis, (D-7th). Due to a prior engagement, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O’Brien will not be in attendance.

For those in the Chicago area, the forum will last from 6-8 (doors open at 5:30) at Malcom X College (1900 W. Van Buren).  We hope to have some coverage of the event tomorrow morning.

Here's our latest roundup on 2010 political news ...

Giannoulias Snags More Endorsements

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias racked up a few more endorsements this week, including one from the Illinois Democratic County Chairman’s Association (ILDCCA)  on Wednesday. ILDCCA's President Alan Pirtle explained in a statement why the  local chairs are ready to throw their political organizations behind his Senate primary campaign:

"We feel that Alexi Giannoulias has the vision, work ethic, and skill to lead efforts to invest in American jobs and American workers [and] not give tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas from a seat in the United States Senate. He has shown tremendous commitment to the people of Illinois and their values such that he will serve all of Illinois in an effective and honorable way."

Meanwhile, the executive committee and 48 local affiliates of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) voted unanimously to back Giannoulias as well. In his endorsement, LIUNA Vice President and Midwest Regional Manager John Penn made it clear that labor hasn't forgotten how Giannoulias went toe-to-toe with Wells Fargo when the bank tried to liquidate Hartmarx, Inc. and send its employees packing. From a statement:

"When a bank that does business with our state threatened to pull the plug on 1,000 Illinois jobs, Alexi told them they could forget about managing $8 billion in state money. The bank relented and the jobs were saved because Alexi stood up for Illinois workers. That’s the kind of leader we need in the U.S. Senate."

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