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* I told subscribers about this early today…
A criminal background check at the heart of a growing controversy surrounding Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was completed long before Stroger has suggested, according to the Illinois State Police.
In interviews this week, Stroger said he fired troubled steakhouse busboy-turned-patronage-worker Tony Cole earlier this month for not disclosing a felony conviction on his job application. Stroger also said Cole’s criminal background check took several months to complete.
Today, State Police Lt. Scott Compton said the agency mailed background check results on Cole to Cook County on Dec. 20—nearly four months before Stroger fired Cole. (The Tribune called a different state police spokesman Monday but did not get a return call until today.)
Anyway, Stroger’s people never called me back, but they did call the Tribune today…
Stroger spokesman James Ramos said today that the state police report was not received in December and suggested it could have been lost in the mail. Ramos said another request was made to state police and the agency faxed it to the county Feb. 11. Then on Apr. 2, the county inspector general issued a report on the matter. Within days, Cole was fired, he said.
So, now it’s the inspector general’s fault for the delay. Stroger’s Tony Cole story has been changed more times than a baby’s diaper. It’s just ridiculous how they can’t seem to get anything straight over there.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 1:46 pm
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There’s a big missing piece to this story that will be put in place eventually, and then it will all make sense.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 1:58 pm
Oh what a tangled web Stroger weave’s,
When first he practises to deceive!
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 1:59 pm
1. The office of an inspector general does not exist to do routine hiring background checks. That’s what the HR dept is for.
2. Stroger should not be hiring anyone but his immediate subordinates and lieutenants. Routine hiring should be done by the staff that will supervise the person.
So, Stroger screwed-up to offer the guy a job, even if there were no problems.
And Stroger is misusing the IG to have the office do routine background checks.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 2:01 pm
When Todd Met Tony - A Novella By VanillaMan
“Well, President Stroger”, the charming waitress said as she approached the Cook County Board President’s table with his dinner receipt, “it’s all taken care of, sir”, she knowingly winked.
“Excellent service, as usual”, the President replied. “The entire dinner was done to perfection. I especially liked the french fries and chicken nuggets.”
As President Stroger turned to put on his suit jacket, his eye suddenly catch sight of one of the steakhouse’s busboys. The young man was hustling around the table the President used, quickly sweeping up crumbs from the tablecloth, and his hands seemed to fly as he dumped the clanging dinnerware into the large gray plastic bins he carried.
The President lifted his hand to his chin as the busboy’s long fingers slipped into each of the used glasses, and he saw how easily the young man was able to lift four glasses with the lift of each strong hand.
President Stroger caught himself being stared at by the steakhouse hostess, who knowingly smiled at him as he turned to her and asked, “Who is that?”
“The busboy?”
“Yeah. Who is that?”
“Oh, jeez, did he do something wrong again?”, she queried.
“Oh, no!”, the President stopped her. “He’s doing everything exactly right! I’ve never seen such admirable bussing. His confidence. His cool. His knowing way of dropping the napkins into each glass in order to lift the entire dinner service is one sweep of his arm! What is his name?”
“That’s Tony”, the hostess answered. “He’s been known to lift some of the wait staff’s tips when he can get away with it. He lives for basketball and girls”, she disapprovingly said.
“I must meet him! There are games at the East Bank Club he has to play in. On my team. I want him to be on my team!” President Stroger announced. The President called from across the room, “Hey Tony! Come here! I have a job for you!”
Tony saundered up, his apron strap drooped over his right shoulder, “what ‘appened? Someone barfed? I don’t do barf. Loose your glasses? I don’t see no glasses left at that table.” Before he could finish his string of questions, the President hushed him by saying, “how would you like to have a job playing basketball with me during lunch breaks and earning thousands as my assistant. If you like my friend Donna well enough, who knows, perhaps you will end up a personnel manager at one of our highway maintenance departments.”
“I dunno”, Tony responded, “I have a record of beating up women and harrassing them. That’s kept me from getting a better job than busboy.”
“Well my friend”, the President said as he put his arm around Tony’s shoulder and drew him in for a confident wink, “if you can show me some moves on the court, I’ll show you some moves off the court, and we’ll all be winners!”
With Tony’s agreement, President Stroger proudly walked into the men’s room, thinking it was the steakhouse exit.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 2:26 pm
Is is possible it was mailed to Barbara Flynn Currie and she lost it?
Comment by Ned Racnad Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 2:53 pm
If Republicans don’t make any progress in 2010, there will be a need for a wholesale house cleaning of party leadership. New York City and Massachusetts are far more liberal than Illinois and cook county and yet somehow, some way Republicans were able to win governorships there and mayoralities.
Stroger is a joke, that performance on Chicago tonight was something worthy of a clown act at the circus in chicago in November. It’s sad that the media are doing a better job of going after the Democrats than a party in the 5th largest state in the nation.
Comment by Shore Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 2:54 pm
VM - I want to know, are you going to pen a play on that novella? Maybe the GOodman Theater would put on the world premier. You could call it: “It Ain’t Only ’bout Tony”.
Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 3:00 pm
The other part of the story that seems to change is Cole’s job. I thought he was an assistant to Ms. Dunnings. Today I saw a reference to his job being in the highway department.
Comment by Objective Dem Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 3:04 pm
I may make a living by writing, but I stand in awe of Vanilla Man. Bravo!!
Comment by jaundiced eye Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 3:24 pm
Since it’s Talk Like Shakespeare Day all I can say is something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Comment by And I Approved This Message Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 3:30 pm
Wordslinger, I think you have a point. I can’t help but feel like, in typical Cook County political fashion, that there is more to this story than meets the eye.
Oh and Ned: good stuff!
Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 3:43 pm
What are the chances that Cole and Dunnings have more than a working relationship?
Comment by Stones Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 3:49 pm
From what I have read the first real response of the Stroger organization was to put the Democratic committeeman of Worth Township on the Forest Preserve payroll. It seems like they are going full steam ahead on the re-election campaign.
Comment by Oakparker Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 3:54 pm
A word of advice to the Toddler. . .Don’t blame your problems on the ISP. They keep excellent records.
Comment by Jake from Bellwood Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 4:19 pm
and how they seem to not care who they throw under the bus!
Comment by can't wait til friday Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 4:26 pm
VM great story.
Really the only lost person is the Toddler, lost for words, lost for alibis, just lost on so many accounts.
Comment by Third Generation Chicago Native Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 4:36 pm
===There are games at the East Bank Club he has to play in. On my team. I want him to be on my team!===
You may not be far from reality there, VM. That may be why he really hired the guy.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 4:40 pm
In over his head? Not ready for prime time?
Comment by Levois Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 4:44 pm
Didn’t these folks learn anything from the past?
When you have bad news, get it put completely as possible on friday or saturday and the issue tends to go away. These daily updates to the story are what is keeping it alive and making it worse than it could have been.
I wonder how TS’s handlers are dealing with this….
Comment by Plutocrat03 Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 4:50 pm
===I wonder how TS’s handlers are dealing with this===
From what I’m hearing about today’s events, horribly.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 4:57 pm
VanillaMan that may be your best yet. Awesome!
Todd seems to be working way too hard to keep the press from finding out what really is going on here.
Comment by Cheswick Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 5:12 pm
I hadn’t been playing close attention to this story, but now learning that this Tony Cole is the same Tony Cole that was a distinguished student in the Jim Harrick Jr. University course material at the University of Georgia is hilarious.
Tell me somebody already linked CF readers to the Jim Harrick Jr. course material from UGA. That cirriculum will have you in stitches.
Comment by Brennan Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 5:45 pm
Wha are the chances the Cole and Stroger had more than a working relationship?
Comment by aronan Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 7:27 pm
VM-AA would be remiss if I didn’t write that you hit a blog career high with that post.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 9:52 pm
Darned Postal Service!
Hey, it’s better than “my dog ate it”.
Comment by SpfldJimbo Thursday, Apr 23, 09 @ 10:30 pm
Why doesn’t someone ask TS why he put Cole on the payroll before the background check was finished the way the real world operates.
Comment by bourbonrich Friday, Apr 24, 09 @ 7:41 am