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Stroger blames media, Daley dodges press, reporters fawn over Jackson

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* This is always the best route to take when faced with bad press. Not…

What’s the biggest challenge facing Cook County right now? The $500 million budget deficit? Layoffs and cutbacks? Management of the county juvenile detention center?

Nope. Board President Todd Stroger said Monday it is the media.

“The biggest challenge probably has been working through the bad press,” Stroger said in discussing his first months in office. He spoke and took questions during the Cook County League of Women Voters’ annual meeting. […]

“The commissioners — they’d work much better with me if they couldn’t read,” Stroger said. “Because then we’d sit down and talk about the issues. — But since there’s so much where the press says, ‘Well, Stroger should’ve done this, he should’ve done that, Stroger did that, Stroger’s got an elevator.’

“So now (commissioners) are afraid to make a move because they’ll be looked at as working with the bad guy.”

* And while Mayor Daley and his wife sat for some TV interviews yesterday, print and radio reporters were snubbed…

But amid a day carefully designed to showcase the mayor’s success, there was no time scheduled for the newspaper reporters and radio journalists who are stationed in the City Hall press room and cover him on a daily basis.

Daley also did not hold a question-and-answer session open to all reporters, as he does about three times a week.

* Meanwhile, it looks like Ald. Sandi Jackson was a big hit yesterday with reporters. This CBS2 story is just one example…

The south lakefront’s Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th) is the most closely watched of the nine freshmen aldermen. Her husband, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., has already served notice that he may run for mayor in 2011. He had to skip Monday’s parties and fly to Capitol Hill immediately after his wife was sworn in.

* Sun-Times…

Monday was inauguration day at City Hall, but it might as well have been called “Tre’s Day.”

That’s how much 3-year-old Jesse Jackson III — known to his parents as “Tre” (pronouned Tray) — appeared to enjoy the ceremony that saw his mom, Sandi Jackson, sworn in as 7th Ward alderman.

* Tribune…

Later in the day, Sandi Jackson held another, “community swearing-in” at the Rainbow Beach fieldhouse. Greg Mathis, star of the nationally syndicated TV show “Judge Mathis,” presided at that event in the new alderman’s South Side ward.

* Brown…

Even the star of the freshman class, Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th), was trying to blend in as best she could with her husband, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., sitting behind her during the inauguration ceremony and conducting his own interviews.

“I’m going to roll up my sleeves and do all the hard work,” she promised.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 9:05 am

Comments

Hey Toddler, the person most at blame for your first six disasterous months is the guy you saw while brushing your teeth this morning!

Comment by fedup dem Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 9:12 am
Todd Stroger took power in an unethical and dishonest manner. He better get use to people and media not trusting him and questioning everything he does.

Comment by Objective Dem Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 9:23 am
Todd Stroger handily and fairly won election as President of the Cook County Board. He is the people’s choice. He will continue to successfully lead the County despite the obstructionist tactics and sour grapes of his former opponents and wannabes on the board and in the press.

Comment by Bill Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 9:59 am
Cook County’s George W: what an embarrassment. Reminds me of the “filter” reference made by the “decider.”

Comment by o"county Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 10:10 am
Bill, what is the legitimate role for the opposition in your eyes?

Do you think Stroger is doing such a good job that the media and opposition shouldn’t question him?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 10:22 am
I think the city council is going to be nastier than people think.

Comment by Garp Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 10:24 am
Bill,

You are correct that Todd won the general election, but he did not win the primary. As you fully know, the public was mislead about his father’s medical condition during the primary and not given a true choice. After his father pulled out, Todd was slated to run in the general election by party insiders, not by the “people.”

This is the type behavior that creates apathy at best and rabid anti-government sentiments at worst.

Comment by Objective Dem Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 10:24 am
This guy is a disaster. The way he got elected is not the problem. Its how he has acted SINCE he got elected.

Comment by o"county Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 10:28 am
What an embarrassment, Blaming the Media and Dodging the Media. Hey! It works for Governor Milo!
I sure hope the Olympic Committee is taking notes.

Comment by 21st Century Leadership Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 10:56 am
Tony Perica needs to turn up the heat on the man/child Todd.
How can Illinois have so many Kings? What a hoot.

Comment by King Blagojevich, King Daley & King Todd Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 11:31 am
Democrats love kings who rein over the common people of Illinois. They believe that benevolent dictatorship is the best way to govern Illinois. The lemming voters must love this form of government also. They do not have to think since the kings will do the thinking for them.

Comment by Patriot Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 12:24 pm
One day voters will realize that pro-machine is anti-people.

Comment by ids Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 12:24 pm
Not in my lifetime, ids.

Comment by Patriot Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 12:29 pm
Sandi, Sandi, Sandi,
Are you sure that you really want to launch your political career by being sworn in by TV’s own Judge Mathis? Was Jerry Springer unavailable?

Comment by Jake from Elwood Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 12:33 pm
“The Commissioners would work better with me if they couldn’t read.”– Todd Stroger

Priceless!

Comment by Southern Man Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 12:43 pm
(I am not ids) I wish that the media could dig out and publish business/government under the table dealings sooner than later. Yesterday, Paul made it very clear that neither business nor government give a darn what the citizens think but it would sure be nice to know more of the insider trivia. If no one listens to us anyway we should at least be entertained about knowing all the trash the media already enjoys.

Comment by i d Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 12:50 pm
Three Kings: Peraica is reportedly running for State’s Attorney. Also, with regard to Mark Brown’s Sun-Times column this morning; does anyone here know what Fioretti said or did at that meeting?

Comment by Yikes Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 1:11 pm
-i d

-I d

The Democrats own the media in Illinois. Every shred of information is carefully choreographed for the public’s consumption.

Comment by Stranger than fiction Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 1:16 pm
The fault is probably litigation than politicization.

Comment by i d Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 2:38 pm
And these clowns want to raise our taxes.

Comment by Oak Street Beach Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 2:40 pm
Todd Strogeris such a clown and he thinks he isn’t! It is too bad his way of thinking is so out of step with how democracy is suppose to work.

Unfortunately people in this county seem satisified with the politics we have here. Perhaps that thinking will change over time with more of Stroger’s pronouncements.

Doug Dobmeyer

Comment by Doug Dobmeyer Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 5:59 pm
Stroger needs to realize that his daddys way of doing things doesnt work anymore. He isnt about improving the county or even running the county he could careless about cook co he cares about power. The more jobs he controls the more people who have to vote for him it is all about jobs and power. He learned this from dady who learned it from the daleys. Cook Co.is a joke.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 9:01 pm
Let’s make Cook County our 51st state.

Comment by Patriot Wednesday, May 23, 07 @ 7:44 am