* A few days ago, the Chicago Tribune editorial board praised Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Mayor Rahm Emanuel while excoriating Gov. Pat Quinn…
Preckwinkle and Emanuel demand that their respective realms deliver not only for recipients of government spending, but also for the taxpayers who fund it. Both rookie executives plainly are sensitive to what they can, and cannot, ask of citizens battered by job losses, home foreclosures and aggressive taxation. Neither would define governance as the private sector serving the public sector. They talk instead of the public sector serving a private sector that, in return for supplying tax revenues, expects streamlining, value and competence.
Preckwinkle and Emanuel are in touch — with these demanding times, and with the challenges that face individuals and employers.
Then there’s Pat Quinn, a governor whose personal decency and love for his state are givens. Right there, the comparison to his fellow Democratic execs abruptly shifts into uncomfortable, unfavorable contrasts:
The rapid readiness for leadership that Preckwinkle and Emanuel exude is terrible fortune for Quinn. At a time when state government needs a tightly focused agenda and a leader with firm resolve — attributes for which Preckwinkle and Emanuel already are renowned — Quinn in Year Three of his governorship still is all reaction and appeasement. Watching Preckwinkle and Emanuel excel only reinforces a verdict we offered last autumn: Strength, constancy, innovation, iconoclasm, the courage to speak truth to power — by each of these leadership metrics, Quinn stands bent and pale.
* So, it may be interesting to see what Mother Tribune will have to say about this…
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle ran for the job as a reformer, but on Tuesday she found herself defending a decision to put two former southwest suburban state lawmakers on the county payroll.
Michael Carberry and John O’Sullivan served short stints last year as appointees to the Illinois House, but were out of office in January because they didn’t seek election last fall.
Now Carberry has landed as a nearly $100,000-a-year deputy director job in the county’s facilities management department. And O’Sullivan, the Worth Township Democratic committeeman, is making $85,000 a year as a regional superintendent at the Cook County Forest Preserve District.
Former County Board President Todd Stroger was criticized during his term for hiring the politically-connected. On election night last November, a victorious Preckwinkle told supporters she planned to “clean up county government by ending patronage.”
* The BGA helped do the probe, and the BGA’s director is quoted in the original Fox Chicago story…
Better Government Association Executive Director Andy Shaw said you’d have to be a pretty big believer in coincidences not to see the politics here.
“It sounds like a couple of guys went down to Springfield, did the bidding of the party to pass the tax hike, and as a result they’re awarded with jobs in Cook County,” Shaw said. “This sounds like business as usual and on its face it’s troubling.”
Even more troubling is the fact that O’Sullivan was fired by Cook County after the county’s inspector general found he had been falsifying his time card while working as a laborer at Stroger Hospital. O’Sullivan appealed the firing and got his job back. He said he was framed for not supporting Todd Stroger.
“Retaliation from that administration is what brought upon these bogus charges. Unproved on all the charges. And I received full back pay and benefits,” said O’Sullivan.
But Inspector General Pat Blanchard told us he stands by his finding that O’Sullivan was ripping off taxpayers. Preckwinkle said she never considered that allegation before awarding O’Sullivan with a plum county job.
Preckwinkle has a reputation for “being above politics.” Apparently, she’s not. That doesn’t make her corrupt or venal or anything. It makes her a (gasp!) politician. These things happen.
* Meanwhile, this is from the last part of the spring session and I simply forgot to post it. It’s a very good lesson for legislators in how not to deal with the media…
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:10 pm:
No mention of Preckwinkle botching the Oak Forest Hospital situation? Very generous…if it is one thing we don’t need, it’s another Cook County Board President that had Todd’s image issues.
- Cincinnatus - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:11 pm:
The odds on Quinn running again in 2014?
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:20 pm:
Emanuel’s been in office for a month. How can anyone make any judgments yet, much less the Tribbies all-knowing, high praise?
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:22 pm:
I know I always look to the Trib for it’s well reasoned and focused editorial board. Give me a break.
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:30 pm:
“the courage to speak truth to power”
anytime I hear or read that phrase I wretch and basically disregard any point intended. It’s like finger nails across a chalk board to me.
Perhaps Quinn should try to get their editorial board fired?
- JL - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:34 pm:
“The rapid readiness for leadership that Preckwinkle and Emanuel exude is terrible fortune for Quinn.”
Talk about counting your chickens before they’re hatched.
- Cincinnatus - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:39 pm:
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:30 pm:
“the courage to speak truth to power”
Aren’t THEY the power?
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:43 pm:
Cincinnatus,
that too!
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:46 pm:
“the courage to speak truth to power”
Perhaps the Tribune editorial board is envious, this is something they haven’t been capable of for quite some time.
As for political appointments, this is a habit our Illinois politicians seem unable to break, like giving up smoking.
- Worth It - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 2:59 pm:
“That doesn’t make her corrupt or venal or anything. It makes her a (gasp!) politician. These things happen.”
The longer we take that attitude, the longer we will suffer the consequences of corruption in this state.
In my book, it does make her corrupt. And the personal benefit (via their new-found employment) that both of these former reps received deserves scrutiny. While difficult to prove quid pro quo, these exchanges of political favors for personal gain (at a minimum) border on illegality.
- River Forester - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 3:00 pm:
Wow that Bill Haine interview is….uh…a little rough.
$132,775 + $68,000 + $21,000 = fun times.
“I understand someone being resentful but it is what it is.”
- Liberty First - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 3:00 pm:
You cannot remove politics from government no matter how much progressives wish it to be so…..
- Nikoli - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 3:05 pm:
That Haine interview is brutal.
He calls his pension a “gift” from taxpayers and gives up the golden line at the end “I understand someone being resentful but it is what it is.”
That line alone would make for some pretty damaging mail pieces, radio spots and tv ads. One could apply that to his vote on the income tax increase, the state deficit, and a whole host of other unpopular issues he supported.
Not a good moment for Bill Haine.
- Shore - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 3:14 pm:
the tribune is drinking the koolaid on preckwinkle, we’ll see if they say the same stuff in a few years.
$185k is a ton of money for 2 middle managers in a county government.
I would also think there’d be a lot more outrage in madison county about a state legislator pulling down that kind of money.
- the trouble with tribbles - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 3:37 pm:
Obviously, Mayor Emanuel hasn’t had much time to show what he can (or can’t) do in office, and President Preckwinkle hasn’t been around much longer. But it’s a fair hit that Rahm and Toni have not let the grass grow under their feet during their terms so far, while Governor Quinn got off to an incredibly slow start.
- Gallery Sitter - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 3:49 pm:
What an absolute hack job pretending to be journalism that Haine interview was. No wonder ratings are down for tv news and people are getting their news from other sources. Cheesy freeze frame b-roll and unfair interview tactics and editing to attempt to embarrass instead of enlighten. That “reporter” comes across as a sophomoric frat boy more interested in coming across as clever then doing the actual work of journalism. Just pathetically shoddy work. Throwing cheap shot bombs instead actually reporting. Pathetic.
- Coach - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 3:56 pm:
Agreed that Haine’s handling of the media in that spot is a study in what not to do. He called the pension a “gift,” agreed that folks might be “resentful,” and even acknowledged that he wouldn’t have voted for the law that provided for his pension - not good, senator.
On the other hand, what was the point of that news story? Just to beat up on, and humiliate, an elected official? And can’t the news outlet do better than that? Guess not.
The news outlet does no service to its readers by simply spotlighting a public pension that appears outrageous, ambushing the senator with loaded questions, and then instructing its viewers to call the senator and complain.
What’s the public service in that? Just to get everybody revved up to vent their pent-up tension over the crappy economy and their stressed-out lives?
Maybe the news outlet could have inquired about whether the GA could pass a law that would preclude Haine from enjoying his enormous pension while simultaneously serving in - and drawing a salary from - the GA.
Or, the news outlet could have tracked down a member of the GA who actually voted for the law that Haine is now benefitting from.
Or, at the very least, the news outlet could have provided some context about the larger public pension morass bearing down on the taxpayers/pensioners of Illinois.
Instead, we get, “Hey look! Sen. Haine has a big, fat pension and YOU don’t! Now, let’s listen to the good senator try to flub his way through explaining how on earth he can possibly justify sucking down all those taxpayer dollars. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, even he says the pension law is BAD! Now, everybody, get on the phone PRONTO and call this man and let him have it!”
Sounds more like mob action that productive journalism.
- Coach - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 4:05 pm:
Whoops, meant “than” - not “that” - in the last line of my tirade.
- Justice - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 4:57 pm:
Actually, Senator Haine did provide a mater of fact answer to the reporters questions.
During good times, everyone is happy and no one is really minding the store…as in trying to project out all these benefits.
It’s a little late to be beating down on a guy now.
I do not like the big benefits politicians manage to give themselves, above and beyond those they supposedly serve, but I don’t like ‘journalists’ trying to put a guy on the spot long after the fact, with which he had little or nothing to do.
- fed up - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 6:02 pm:
Wow its better to be a Dem lawmaker that loses or doesnt run than one that wins. The Dem loseres get taken care of pretty well.
- Just The Way It Is One - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 6:09 pm:
I will just strongly echo Small Town Liberal’s comment at 2:22 p.m. and wordslinger at 2:20 p.m. Just remember, interesting as their thoughts are, ANY newspaper’s editorial board is comprised of a small group of fellow citizens who provide the same thing all of us who comment here from time to time do…for what it’s worth, scholarly language or not, it’s still just an opinion…(and sometimes a pretty anemic one at that).
- Louis G. Atsaves - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 7:08 pm:
(Gasp) Politics!
Except that the new Cook County Board President campaigned and promised reform to include that politics as usual would end under her administration. So much for that!
Governor Quinn has the same problem. The rhetoric does not match his actions going back to the first day he was elected Lt. Governor.
Mind you I’m not critical of Democrats “who take care of their own” after elections. My Republicans would do the same thing if they had the opportunity.
The Tribune should spread more of its rage around and really focus on the “reformers” who are “reformers in name only.”
- Shemp - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 9:59 pm:
I agree with Justice, Haine seemed rather upfront and matter-of-fact about the pensions. Is he supposed to voluntarily give up what others authorized giving him? Believe me, I’m all for some significant pension reforms, but blaming today’s official for what the GA did while he was State’s Atty is unfair.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 10:52 pm:
=Emanuel’s been in office for a month. How can anyone make any judgments yet, much less the Tribbies all-knowing, high praise?=
Everyone’s still watching re-runs on youtube of the inauguration day interviews?
- ccwatcher - Wednesday, Jun 15, 11 @ 11:35 pm:
I’m not surprised. Instead of the friends and family program at the county, its now just the friends program. Prekwinkle has just brought back folks who use to work for the county or city or state. Like the person who now runs environment she has know background in the field but she’s running the department . I wonder how many folks who put their resume on her “jobs ” website ever got called for an interview or even hired? Like my buddy said if u don’t have a university of Chicago or north shore pedigree don’t even apply for a county spot.
- Jim - Thursday, Jun 16, 11 @ 12:35 am:
Preckwinkle hires a former county laborer with a big job in the Forest Preserve District, hires a two month state legislator who voted for the tax increase as a county highway dept employee at $100,000, and the new head of Cook COunty budget is a former Public Information Office (and longtime Paul Volpeite, remember Paul the pusher of the meter lease who is still on the CTA payroll at $150,000 plus) with limited real budgetary experience. Yes. good job President, more of the same.