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If you bumble, it doesn’t matter if you’re right

Friday, Mar 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Once again, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is his own worst enemy. Right on the point, but severely bumbled execution…

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger on Thursday disputed the findings of a report suggesting patronage was alive and well in county government, then admitted he had not read the 54-page document.

“I haven’t read her report yet,” Stroger said, referring to the review filed in court last week by retired Cook County Circuit Judge Julia Nowicki, a federally appointed hiring monitor.

Stroger said he knew about the report’s details from newspaper accounts. “I can read the newspaper,” said Stroger, a freshman board president and former Chicago alderman. “I’ve got a good education.”

* Here’s the nut of Stroger’s argument…

“We have cooperated with her office, but the way the report was written, it makes it appear there have been things that have been going on that are illegal in hiring since I’ve been the president, but it’s not the case.”

* I had the exact same reaction to the report, which relies on a whole lot of hearsay from disgruntled employees and never really pins down when any of the alleged violations happened. And if you read it closely, you’ll see that some of those violations obviously happened under Stroger’s father. Others aren’t clear when they occurred, and that obfuscation looks deliberate to me. Go read it yourself and see.

* But, that reality is barely mentioned in the press. Instead, stuff like this is buried or ignored…

County taxpayers have now paid almost $1 million to Nowicki, with another nearly $1 million due in expenses, as she and a staff of investigators and attorneys comb through hundreds of patronage claims from 2004-2006.

Doesn’t that timeline prove Stroger’s argument? He was elected in 2006, the end point of the probe. Yet the coverage so far has made it appear as if Stroger himself is responsible.

* But, for crying out loud, it only took me a few minutes to read the report. Stroger should have taken time out from his schedule to at least glance through it. This shows supreme goofiness on Stroger’s part. Read it, pick it apart, praise some areas, criticize others, and then move on. Is that so difficult?

12 Comments

- Rob_N - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 9:44 am:
“Is that so difficult?”

Clearly, yes (for some…).

- The Doc - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 9:52 am:
It’s the date range of investigation that’s troubling. What the monitor should be reviewing are today’s (2007-present) claims and auditing the current payroll, especially in light of the significant county sales tax increase.

Stroger has proven to be much too reactionary for his own good, as Rich points out. The “Toddler” often acts like a juvenile in response to negative news. This was a golden opportunity for him to appropriately deflect the criticism, and he blew it.

- Ghost - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 9:55 am:
Its popular to hate stroger, and anti-stroger stories sell paper. Stroger is unable to catch a break in the media, and so far Storger is working to make sure no one is motivated to do so. He does nothing wrong, but then shoots himeself in the foot by not even reading the report.

- wordslinger - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 9:57 am:
One million in the bank and another million on the way — Shakman Compliance is a pretty sweet gig.

Todd whiffed on a fastball in his wheelhouse.

- The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:02 am:
> Is that so difficult?

Apparently it is.

- Garp - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:03 am:
Not only does Todd Stroger not read the report but he lectures the media because they haven’t read the report. Rich Miller has espoused Todd Stroger’s need for a good PR person and, lately, is making a far better case for Stroger than Stroger is, therefore, I propose him for the job.

- Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:25 am:
==therefore, I propose him for the job.===

Not in a million years.

- Snidely Whiplash - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:28 am:
This is all starting to get silly, and from both sides. They need to start getting their acts together and start to actually run the county over there.

- BannedForLife - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:44 am:
” … the report … never really pins down when any of the alleged violations happened.”

I’ve read it, you’re right, it’s skimpy on dates.

But the subject of the report is not the Todd Stroger administration, it is Cook County government. From the monitor’s point of view, Board Presidents come & go. When Todd was sworn in it was not the dawning of a new era, a clean slate. The institutional problems are still there. A report on just pre-Todd problems or just post-Todd problems would be a disservice either way.

- BannedForLife - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:56 am:
It’s a fascinating read, Rich is right, everyone should take a few. The 1st 1/2 is compelling, episodes from County hiring.

It’s not monitor’s job to deliver a report card on John OR Todd. Of course Todd prefers to spin it, what does this have to do with me? I don’t think we need to help him with that attitude.

- Reality Check - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 4:25 pm:
The problem with Todd is he has become so jaded regarding the media that he now rebuffs anything they say because they have been so overwhelmingly negative towards him. Which is too bad because this was one of the best softballs they ever tossed him and he missed it. Todd’s gotta get rid of your testiness and think before you speak, let your media people develop a plan for you and stick to your plan. I hear good things about Eugene Mullins, so maybe he can finally turn the corner.

- Leave it to Beavers - Saturday, Mar 8, 08 @ 11:15 pm:
He could just quit and “leave it to Beavers” …then where would we be?

Tough job having to read reports and all.

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