Eye-poppers
Wednesday, Dec 8, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Whatever else you can say, give the man a kabillion chutzpah points…
Criticized repeatedly for stacking the public payroll with family members, Joe Berrios has hired his son and sister to work for him as he takes the reins of the Cook County assessor’s office.
Berrios, who was sworn in as assessor Monday after winning a rough-and-tumble election, hired son Joseph “Joey’’ Berrios as a $48,000-a-year residential analyst and sister Carmen Cruz as director of taxpayer services at a salary of $86,000. Their salaries will remain unchanged from when they both worked for Berrios when he served on the Cook County Board of Review, which hears property tax appeals.
“They’ve got experience, and I’m hiring people with experience,’’ Berrios told the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday.
Berrios said he wants competent people he can trust working in his administration.
“I trust them,’’ he said. “It is what it is.’’
It’s true that Berrios was “criticized repeatedly” for nepotism. But he won anyway, so he apparently figures he has a mandate. His daughter already works at the assessor’s office, by the way, so that’s three family members on the payroll.
* On to more serious matters. About half of all human services agencies have been forced to lay off staff because of late state payments, according to a new survey…
According to the study conducted by Illinois Collaboration on Youth and others, more than half of agencies responding, 53%, have reduced hours or levels of service and 41% reported increasing waiting lists.
Just about half, 49%, laid off staff — an average of 13% of workers, the study found.
This as the state faces a cumulative budget hole approaching $14 billion.
“Illinois residents who need help have been on the chopping block at budget time for many years. Now we see the results: fewer children in child care; fewer after-school programs for teens; less help for people to get and keep jobs, and less assistance for those with mental illness . . . and the elderly,” said Judith Gethner, director of another sponsor, Illinois Partners for Human Service [Emphasis added]
Results are here.
* And Voices for Illinois Children has more bad news…
More than 2,600 children have lost preschool opportunities this fall as dozens of programs have closed under the pressure of long-delayed payments from the state, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
The state government remains one of the greatest drags on the state’s economy.
- Bubs - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 2:18 pm:
The voters of Cook County remind me of a man standing in a pool of gasoline while dropping lit matches, but complaining of getting burned.
- Loop Lady - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 2:20 pm:
arrgghhh!!! unfrickenbeleivable!!!!
- Eagle Eye - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 2:43 pm:
What we really need is more cow bell!
- Northsider - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 2:50 pm:
Joe Berrios is our shepherd, we shall not want (if we’re related).
Baa.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 2:55 pm:
–The state government remains one of the greatest drags on the state’s economy.–
All the more reason for last week’s Tobacco Bond Sale. Pay bills and get the money into the system, toot-sweet.
It was not like the Chicago parking meter or Skyway deal, where long-term, productive assets have been frittered away from “rainy-day” funds for current expenses.
Instead, it was maximizing a shaky revenue source that could be gone tomorrow, transferring the risk to bondholders.
- Who Cares - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 3:36 pm:
I bet Carol Marin will give her readers a good “I warned ya.” My vote AGAINST Berios was just reinforced.
- MikeMacD - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 3:51 pm:
I didn’t realize until I just looked it up now, Assessor Berrios won with 380 votes out of over 680,000 votes cast.
Oh well.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 3:51 pm:
He’s just following the example of his predecessor as chair of the Cook County Democratic Central Committee, one Richard J. Daley, who told reporters that if a father couldn’t help his own kids, they could kiss his . . . .
- Frank - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 3:56 pm:
MikeMacD
you might want to combine the Cook County vote with the city of Chicago vote. Berrios won by over 220,000 votes
- Cincinnatus - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 3:57 pm:
I hear the Assessors office is planning headcount for 2011. How many more kids does Berrios have? Cousins?
- Commonsense in Illinois - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 3:59 pm:
With regard to Illinois not paying its bills…According to the NCSL report, Illinois’ GRF shortfall is nearly 47% of the entire state budget. Memo to the General Assembly: Can we please stop proposing new programs now…for just a little while?
- Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 4:17 pm:
Voters were warned about Berrios. Not enough of them gave a rat’s behind about it. Berrios won overwhelmingly. Oh well, we’re stuck with it. Bring on the investigations.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 4:19 pm:
People, take a look at the writing in red above the comment posting box. I’ve deleted a couple-three drive-by gratuitous insults and I’ll just close this post if there are more. Contain yourselves, please.
- amalia - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 4:22 pm:
Berrios, Spanish for chutzpah. just exhaustingly sad.
- CLJ - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 4:48 pm:
It was never a secret that two of his kids worked for him at the Board of Review and the other daughter clearly must not be qualified since she worked for Houlihan. If they were really clever, one would fill the open BoR seat, and the other two would become property tax attorneys.
Complainers, GET OVER IT. He has a right to hire whatever staff he wants and that includes bringing his BoR staff to the Assessor’s office.
- Bill - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 5:00 pm:
Why should being related to an office holder preclude public service? I am sure all of the Assesor’s employees are competent, hard working, and dedicated to serving the citizens of the county.
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 5:12 pm:
Voters knew what they were getting with Berrios, too late to complain now.
- MikeMacD - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 5:16 pm:
Frank,
How stupid of me. You’re right. Sorry for the misinformation.
Now it’s even sadder.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 5:28 pm:
It is what it is, which in this case is nepotism. It’s neither illegal nor unexpected. There’s a long tradition of nepotism in Illinois. No sense holding Berrios to a higher standard than we hold other family dynasties to.
But don’t blame me, I voted for Claypool.
- Skeeter - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 5:33 pm:
“Why should being related to an office holder preclude public service? I am sure all of the Assesor’s employees are competent, hard working, and dedicated to serving the citizens of the county.”
That’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever read on this forum. Thank you so much for injecting humor into this, Bill. Everybody else was taking it seriously.
- Stench - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 5:42 pm:
Hercules couldn’t clean out the stable that is Chicago/Cook County/Illinois government.
Mostly because people — politicians and most voters — don’t care about the appearance of impropriety.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 5:58 pm:
–Hercules couldn’t clean out the stable that is Chicago/Cook County/Illinois government.–
Blah, blah, blah.
From a chloreric swamp to the the fourth-largest metro economy in the world and nearly 10 million people in about 170 years.
Yeah, all bad all the time. Where are the pure and virtuous locales, and why don’t we all move there?
- anon - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 6:02 pm:
Berrios won with under 50% of the vote. He was elected thanks to Forrest Claypool running as an independent and splitting the anti-Berrios vote. You should blame the victory of Berrios on Claypool and the Claypool voters.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 6:10 pm:
===You should blame the victory of Berrios on Claypool and the Claypool voters. ===
C’mon. If anything, Claypool kept him under 50.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 6:11 pm:
===the appearance of impropriety. ===
Last I checked, that was legal. And the appearance to whom?
- arghh!!!! - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 7:36 pm:
I love how suburban Democrats complain about republican corruption and patronage, but turn a blind eye to the Democrats in the largest county in the state.
- ok - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 8:27 pm:
Really, you love it?
- Vote Quimby! - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 9:24 pm:
If Quinn has a mandate to raise taxes, why doesn’t Berrios have a mandate to hire his family? To the victor go the spoils…
- Sam - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 9:25 pm:
It probably was going to happen anyway, but Berrios just absolutely ensured he will replace Todd Stroger as the Chicago media’s top target.
Another thought: Berrios must not have a deal struck on who is going to get appointed as his successor. I would imagine if he was calling the shots, he would make sure his replacement was committed to keeping his relatives in place.
- Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 10:09 pm:
Has he resigned from his position as Democratic Chair as he promised he would during the campaign?
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 8, 10 @ 10:52 pm:
–It probably was going to happen anyway, but Berrios just absolutely ensured he will replace Todd Stroger as the Chicago media’s top target–
Perhaps on issues like nepotism, but there’s only a couple of reporters in town who would even know where to begin making sense of the mind-numbing assessment process. Lots of numbers and formulas, you see.
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Dec 9, 10 @ 7:57 am:
CC
Berrios did not promise to resign as chair, he did promise to sell the lobbying business which he did.
Most believe dumping Houli’s hacks and bringing in clean employees from the Board of Review is a good move
Remember the Tribune poured over thousands of files and found no reductions based on improper or special treatment.
Anybodt know who’s pocket has Claypool’s mitt these days?
- Stench - Thursday, Dec 9, 10 @ 7:26 pm:
Sorry, Rich, I missed your follow-up question yesterday.
It is legal. But it also is a less-than-arm’s-length transaction. Such transactions are generally considered by disinterested (i.e., objective) observers to be unethical because they create the appearance of impropriety by granting, at taxpayers’ expense, a financial benefit to a public official’s family members and, thereby, indirectly to the public official.