Chicago Sun Times Editorial -5 ways Todd Stroger can prove his critics wrong
Chicago Sun Times Editorial -5 ways Todd Stroger can prove his critics wrong
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
December 4, 2006
It's showtime for Todd Stroger. Time for him to show that he will live up to his promise to be his own man as Cook County Board president. Time to show that he will practice a new kind of politics, not the old ones of his father, John Stroger, who for all his distinguished service ran an administration that was rife with patronage and disorder. Today is the first day the younger Stroger will get an opportunity to begin living up to his campaign pledges and prove his critics wrong.
Today is the day he will be sworn in. Many voters fear that having been installed as the Democratic candidate not because of any notable accomplishments but because he is his father's son, Todd Stroger will toady up to the Democratic Machine. Many think he is too young, too inexperienced and too beholding to the powers that be. Having reluctantly endorsed him, we choose to hold out hope that he will be a man of his word. Here are five things he can do to prove that.
Patronage: Stroger must begin by asking for the resignations of the 500 county employees not covered by civil service protections and weed out the ones doing nothing to earn their place on the payroll. With the announcement that retired Cook County Judge Julia Nowicki will oversee hiring for the county as its "compliance administrator," the campaign against clout got a boost. We urge Stroger not to begin making appointments until Nowicki is in place to review them.
Gerald Nichols: Any serious attack of patronage abuses should begin with the immediate firing of Nichols, the man who put many of the weedable employees in place. Nichols, John Stroger's patronage chief, facilitates favoritism in county government the way the recently sentenced Robert Sorich did in city government. It is an understatement to say that it's troubling that Stroger hasn't yet realized that Nichols must play no role in county government.
IG: Constant vigilance will be required to keep county government on the straight and narrow, and Stroger must honor his promise to name an independent inspector general to help root out corruption.
Waste: One of the first steps he can take to eliminate wasteful spending is to consolidate duplicated offices, such as public relations and human resources, in the county health care system.
Juvenile center: The operation of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has been a scandal. Unsafe and unsanitary conditions encourage, not discourage, young people in trouble for the first time toward a life of crime. Stroger must find the best professional to run it.
In endorsing Stroger, we promised to hold him to his assurances that he will do all he can to clean up one of the largest local governments in the country. Doing less than his best won't wash.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
December 4, 2006
It's showtime for Todd Stroger. Time for him to show that he will live up to his promise to be his own man as Cook County Board president. Time to show that he will practice a new kind of politics, not the old ones of his father, John Stroger, who for all his distinguished service ran an administration that was rife with patronage and disorder. Today is the first day the younger Stroger will get an opportunity to begin living up to his campaign pledges and prove his critics wrong.
Today is the day he will be sworn in. Many voters fear that having been installed as the Democratic candidate not because of any notable accomplishments but because he is his father's son, Todd Stroger will toady up to the Democratic Machine. Many think he is too young, too inexperienced and too beholding to the powers that be. Having reluctantly endorsed him, we choose to hold out hope that he will be a man of his word. Here are five things he can do to prove that.
Patronage: Stroger must begin by asking for the resignations of the 500 county employees not covered by civil service protections and weed out the ones doing nothing to earn their place on the payroll. With the announcement that retired Cook County Judge Julia Nowicki will oversee hiring for the county as its "compliance administrator," the campaign against clout got a boost. We urge Stroger not to begin making appointments until Nowicki is in place to review them.
Gerald Nichols: Any serious attack of patronage abuses should begin with the immediate firing of Nichols, the man who put many of the weedable employees in place. Nichols, John Stroger's patronage chief, facilitates favoritism in county government the way the recently sentenced Robert Sorich did in city government. It is an understatement to say that it's troubling that Stroger hasn't yet realized that Nichols must play no role in county government.
IG: Constant vigilance will be required to keep county government on the straight and narrow, and Stroger must honor his promise to name an independent inspector general to help root out corruption.
Waste: One of the first steps he can take to eliminate wasteful spending is to consolidate duplicated offices, such as public relations and human resources, in the county health care system.
Juvenile center: The operation of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has been a scandal. Unsafe and unsanitary conditions encourage, not discourage, young people in trouble for the first time toward a life of crime. Stroger must find the best professional to run it.
In endorsing Stroger, we promised to hold him to his assurances that he will do all he can to clean up one of the largest local governments in the country. Doing less than his best won't wash.
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 6:25 AM
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