As expected….

With a little bit of grumbling, and a lot of posturing, the coronation of Todd Stroger went off without a hitch Tuesday as the Cook County Democratic Party nominated him to take his father’s place on the November ballot in the county board president race.

Well, maybe a slight hitch.

Moreover, some suburban committeemen, including Joan Brennan of Elk Grove Township, successfully objected to making the vote for Todd Stroger unanimous with a second ballot — a move the party sometimes does as a show of unity once the candidate is chosen.

Hard feelings, eh?

Meanwhile, do you get the feeling that Burt is losing it?

Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd) was shouted down at the Democratic Party meeting to choose a new Cook County Board president candidate Tuesday afternoon for a strange and racially-insensitive remark about the post office.

“The delivery of the United States mail stinks,” he said. “Of all the places in the United States where Afro-Americans have an opportunity with benefits and with good pay to do a job, it’s the postal service. They have a lock on it. And that’s fine. I’m for it. I’m for it. They can have it. I want them to have it. But I want service.”

Natarus was explaining his vote for Stroger by blaming Congressman Danny Davis, who sits on a postal committee in Washington, for poor mail service.

The Sun-Times has more goofy quotes from the committeeman’s meeting. Here’s 30th Ward Committeeman Michael Wojcik:

…And I urge you not to do as some of our colleagues originally suggested, that we were trying to throw the baby out with the bath water. You want to throw the baby out with the bath water, don’t vote for Todd Stroger. You’ll throw the baby out with the bath water. That baby is my children, your children, the people in the neighborhood. And I’m proud of that.”

And after scolding the Democrats for choosing Todd Stroger, Mark Brown had this to say today:

The most obvious way to make Democrats, who form a sizable majority in Cook County, to look before they leap [towards Tony Peraica] is to focus attention on social issues such as abortion, gun control and gay rights… a liberal Democrat looking at his [Peraica’s] conservative record is going to think twice before giving him a vote.

Also, if you thought Peraica was enthusiastic to the point of delusional, Brown has this tidbit:

A few weeks ago, Peraica told me he’d get 20 percent of the African-American vote. I bet him he wouldn’t get more than 5 percent. While many African-American voters undoubtedly share in the dissatisfaction over the Stroger situation, I can’t see many of them opting for Peraica.

And Carol Marin has another scoop.

Has somebody been frantically padding the payroll of Cook County government since President John Stroger’s stroke in March?

You gotta wonder.

According to a couple of printouts I’ve seen for pay periods June 11, 2006, to July 8, 2006, it looks to me like the cash-strapped county has in just four weeks added 408 new employees. Everything from janitors, clerks and student administrative aides to laundry workers, law clerks and doctors.

And there’s more:

According to county payroll reports, in early 2005, Cook County government had 25,060 employees. Just one year later, in early 2006, even BEFORE John Stroger’s stroke, that number had shot up to 27,292. An increase of more than 2,000 workers.

And the Trib had this at the bottom of their story today:

Unlike the anticipated outcome of Tuesday’s meeting, no one is forecasting the result of the County Board’s meeting on Wednesday. The 16 remaining commissioners will select an interim board president from among themselves to fill John Stroger’s term, which expires Dec. 4.

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office has ruled that the winner must receive a majority of the votes of those casting ballots. If all 16 commissioners vote, the winner would need nine. However, if any commissioners are absent or choose to vote “present,” the number of votes needed to win would be reduced.

At least five commissioners, Democrats Claypool, Steele, Earlean Collins and Joseph Mario Moreno and Republican Carl Hansen, are seeking the job. At least on a first ballot, the board’s five Republicans are expected to vote for Hansen, a 32-year veteran who lost in the March primary.

Several Republicans have said that they would likely support Claypool in subsequent votes. They have sided with Claypool in the past few years in blocking taxes pushed by John Stroger.