When it comes to the gargantuan and ungainly Cook County government, we’re at the precipice.

Re-elect the incumbents, like President Todd Stroger, and then just shut the hell up. You’d be abdicating all responsibility for this $3 billion monstrosity of inside dealing and failed service to our community’s most needy members.

Alderman Toni Preckwinkle is smart, progressive, independent and cool. A teacher for a decade, an alderman for two, Preckwinkle is hitting her stride as a candidate.

She’s held back on personal attacks and on overpromising. She just doggedly makes her points: This government costs too much. It favors the few.

When Preckwinkle discusses the county health care system, she focuses on improving primary care and ensuring that any cuts to the system happen with a scalpel rather than a dull axe.

While candidates like Terrence O’Brien pander to voters who want Stroger’s 1 percent sales tax gone, Preckwinkle insists that can’t be done without a smart approach to finding new revenue. This is the right way to roll back the sales tax increase.

Preckwinkle has shown leadership in this race by calling for the independent commission charged with running the county Bureau of Health Services to remain intact.

She’s saying the right things about the juvenile justice system. She’s finding ways to run the clogged and expensive county jail system better by getting minor, nonviolent offenders into home monitoring programs.

Toni Preckwinkle has detailed plans. She’s got political acumen. She understands, in her understated way, that county government must be taken apart and put back together. She deserves our votes.

The best of her opponents is Dorothy Brown, clerk of the county court system. She equals Preckwinkle in some policy areas, but can’t surpass her as a package.

O’Brien, president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, has nothing unique to offer, save his skin color.

And Todd Stroger, whom we met with for 90 minutes, is charming and unworthy of the at-times ridiculous level of opprobrium leveled at him, but without capacity for major change.

---

By Julie from Skokie
Posted: 01/26/2010 11:16 AM

Brown took a paper-laden court system and digitized over 1 billion records - at a profit to the county, paid for by a document filing fee. She is a CPA, MBA and JD. She ran against Daley for mayor - that's independence. Preckwinkle's campaign finance chairman for years was none other than Tony Rezco. Six failed building projects in her ward and she, supposedly, boots him. Hmmmm. Votes with Daley 99% of the time. Has no business, administrative or financial credentials. Better package?