Democratic Party - 49th Ward

The Last Day

Today ends an era.  Even the Trib, the strongest critic, had to say you deserved respect.  I don't agree with everything they write about your administration. They overstate some things to further their political agenda, but the comments about your character are right on point.  John H. Stroger, Jr.,  you are one of a kind, and a kind that with your leaving public life I doubt we will see again.  I never wondered where I  stood or where you stood on something. And most of the time you were right in the end.   You are blessed with many admirable qualities.  It was hard when I didn't agree with your position, because you don't change your mind easily, but you have always given me a chance to try and do so.  You listen.  You care.  And the millions of people who benefit from your steadfast dedication to providing for the less fortunate will be cared for through the good works of others in public service for a long time to come.  You have changed the lives of many simply by setting a good example.


Chicago Tribune Editorial           July 31, 2006          President Strogers Last Day In Office

Monday begins as thousands upon thousands of other days have begun in this metropolis, with John Stroger as president of the Cook County Board. Monday night, he'll begin his retirement. After decades of influencing county government and the lives of the people it serves, he has been sidelined by medical issues beyond his control. If John Stroger ever anticipated a career farewell, he surely saw himself shaking hands with everyone--his allies, his adversaries, the bypassers captivated if only for a moment by one of the more genuine personalities in Chicago politics.

But he likely didn't anticipate a farewell. He wouldn't have enjoyed those elaborate exercises in staged finality. Politics and governance were his life; an intimate says the prospect of retirement unnerved him. As Stroger now moves on he'll be busier than he ever expected, rebuilding his strength after a stroke and, bet it all, charming every physical therapist he meets. The rest of us--the allies, the adversaries, the bypassers--will have to wait a while longer for those handshakes. Even in this awkward moment of silence, we know he leaves public office just as he occupied it: without a grudge, without a complaint, and with precious few regrets. Even at his most stubborn--like an Arkansas mule, he once boasted--he has heard out his foes. The man does have convictions. Some of the most confrontational meetings this newspaper's editorial board ever has hosted occurred with John Stroger at the table, loudly refusing to reduce bureaucracy and improve services in a featherbedded county government that always took care of his cronies. The final trajectory of those meetings was predictable: Stroger agreeing to disagree, firmly gripping every paw in the room, murmuring that no matter how fierce his intransigence, "Nothing personal." When any disagreement ends with those two words spoken honestly--which rarely they are--they ennoble the speaker and the listener alike. If arguments with Stroger never have been personal, everything else has: How's everybody doing here? You have two boys, right? What's up with my old friend so-and-so? The Chicago cliche is that Stroger, 77, is a relic of an era when taxpayers blindly tolerated subsidizing the agendas, the patronage and the insider contracts awarded by the county officials they elected to office. But he's also a relic of a steelier, less calculating politics in which loyalty, once granted, endured to the grave. In 2003, he explained in an interview the most controversial decision of his career: to support Richard M. Daley in the 1983 mayoral primary even as Harold Washington, a fellow African-American, entered the race: "I'd made my commitment," Stroger recounted, "and I had no reason to change." He smiled. Criticism? So what. Even in his recent absence, the granite constancy of John Stroger has outclassed the shabby opportunism of the lesser pols who hovered like vultures over the final months of his career. They conspired among themselves and misled voters, scheming to embezzle his personal clout as his grasp on it slipped away. Now he departs, taking with him a possession that can't be begged, borrowed or bequeathed. What he wanted most in return for his work was people's respect. He has it. He always will. 

President of the County Board

All the local political news these days is really about one thing: the Cook County Board.  Sure, there is the aftermath of a federal trial regarding the Daley administration and an investigation regarding the Blagojevich administration, but if you want to see passion and excitement, the only game in town is the County Board.  Raw politics.  Raw emotion. Raw power. Chicago style, for better or worse.

There is a great deal of posturing and positioning going on, some of it for the interim presidency of the Board, some of it for the Democratic nomination for this November's election and some for the County Board President's election in 2010.

As Committeeman, I have the responsibility to vote to fill any vacancy that occurs after the primary election.  As I understand it, is a responsibility dictated by state law.  All 80 Cook County Democratic Committeeman will share in this responsibility.  I have received, spoken with and/or thought about several candidates.  Some are in the race overtly, while others are covertly interested.  I have heard and seen sentiment for several candidates, and I have not yet decided who I will support.  My criteria is simple.  I will be making a decision based on who has the best vision for the county government.  I believe the next president must be committed to supporting the essential services of the county, and not balancing the budget on the backs of the poor, hungry, homeless and ill.

As in every election, it is a decision about leadership, goals and direction.  I believe that public safety and public health are the most important missions for county government.  There will be many different opinions about who is best suited to serve, but the vision I am looking for is not about politics and posturing.  It is about providing the best and most efficient care to the neediest people of this county, and providing as much safety, security and justice as possible.  John Stroger holds that view as a core and fundamental belief, and it shaped his vision for the county.  That is why I supported him for re-election.  Those same factors will govern my decision on whom to support to fill John Stroger's vacancy on the November ballot.

A few have been touting Forrest Claypool because he came in second.  I like him.  He was a bright and thoughtful candidate, and I expect we have not seen the last of him.  The simple and unavoidable truth, however, is that the majority of Cook County voters in the March primary did not share his vision for the county.  I don't subscribe to the theory that merely coming in second entitles you to a vacancy.  Many Dorothy Brown supporters were disappointed when Mayor Daley didn't appoint her City Treasurer after Miriam Santos, the woman who defeated her for that office, was convicted in federal court.  Rather than claim she was somehow "entitled" to be City Treasurer, Brown instead ran for Clerk of the Circuit Court, took her case to the people, and won that election overwhelmingly. 

Frankly, I doubt that Claypool will seek to be a candidate for the party vacancy.  On the other hand, he very well could be a candidate for the interim Presidency.  I don't have a vote in that race, but given the situation the county is in, it would be good for both the county and Forrest Claypool if he takes that job, and it may position him well if he decides to fun for County Board President again in 2010. 

Finally, we do not have a perfect County government, nor will we with whomever is the next Board President.  Changes will come and improvements will happen slowly in any case.  Most important, we should remember that government is there to serve the common good.  It is a mission that requires good leadership, a strong sense of direction and, most importantly, a vision of where we are going and why we are going there. That is what we need in a President of the Cook County Board and that is who I will support.