The colonnades that grace the exterior of the City-County Building at Clark and Randolph are a reminder that the structure is the seat of two local governments, an architectural gesture to the classical republican traditions of Rome.

For years, however, county government’s elected officials and administrative functionaries haven’t lived up to best tribunes of that ancient society. To say the least. Cook County government official have, more often than not, resembled Rome’s worst.

Last February, my research team at the University of Illinois-Chicago and the Better Government Association co-authored “Corruption in Cook County,” a report that detailed the patterns of corruption in county government over the decades. The report compiled a partial roster of nearly 150 businessmen, politicians and government officials who’ve been convicted in connection with Cook County public corruption scandals.

Nearly every unit of county government has been implicated, and federal prosecutors have brought us more than a few investigations, like Operation Greylord (where 15 judges, 47 lawyers and 24 law enforcement officers pleaded guilty or were convicted on various charges), Operation Gambat (another judicial corruption probe) and Operation Haunted Hall (a ghost pay rolling scheme).

Todd Stroger, the outgoing president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, responded to our report by saying that he had done much to clean up corruption for which he hasn’t gotten credit. So the Better Government Association’s director Andy Shaw and I met with President Stroger to discuss the issue.

On February 25, a bitterly cold winter day, Andy and I walked into President Stroger’s inner chamber on the fifth floor of the county building, and took a seat in the chairs before his desk. The reforms we proposed included limiting campaign contributions, especially by county employees; strengthening the ethics and lobbying ordinances by stopping workers from holding two government jobs and ending the practice of county officials lobbying other governments for private benefit; limiting nepotism in hiring; and fostering greater transparency.

Aides members clustered to Stroger’s side, handing him paper copies of refutations of our charges. We made our arguments and then Stroger went into long monologues in response. After two hours of rather fruitless efforts to persuade him to back our reforms, the meeting ended. As we left, he promised to read the recommendations and get back to us. Staffers politely escorted us to the door.

When Andy and I appeared on the Milt Rosenberg’s radio show on WGN-AM a few days later, President Stroger called in and admitted he still hadn’t read the three page memo but railed against our charges of corruption in his administration

Follow-up calls to his staff made it clear to me that Stroger, despite his assertions, was not going to sponsor any new legislation to curb corruption in county government.

All three candidates for county board president have agreed with the changes we proposed, however.

Meanwhile, in May, Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica introduced a series of amendments to help curb unethical and corrupt practices.

The amendments would prohibit Cook County government employees from serving as a lobbyist for any entity other than Cook County. The best known conflict here is Cook County Board of Appeals member Joe Berrios, who has lobbied for the video gaming industry in Springfield while hearing — and granting — tax appeals for the clients of House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Peraica’s legislation would also prohibit former Cook County elected officials or firms in which they have a financial interest from receiving business from the county for a period of two years after they leave county employment, and tighten limits on campaign contributions.

The ordinance already has an unusual supporter and a surprising opponent. County Commissioner William Beavers, an old-guard machine guy that has President Stroger’s back, supports the legislation.

But other commissioners are worried about offending Commissioner Larry Suffredin, who usually leads the liberal reform wing of the Cook County Board. He and his law firm do a lot of lobbying in Springfield.

The trick in getting the legislation passed, which will be brought up for a vote after Labor Day, just in time for the November elections and maximum voter attention, will be whether or not the voters in the neighborhoods and the suburbs care about county government and an annual “corruption tax.”

If the public anger we’re seeing in some of the primary races in around the country — and, to be sure, here in Cook County as well — reaches sitting county commissioners, they’ll pass anti-corruption legislation this fall.

If they think they don’t have to be accountable, they’ll stiff the voters and taxpayers once more.


This article has been updated to correct two misspellings. We regret the errors.

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By Nancy from northwest suburbs
Posted: 06/20/2010 5:38 PM

Great job attempting to curb corruption in county government -- at least someone is trying. Not so great on grammar: it is "rein" in corruption, like you would wild horses. (Not "reign," as in to rule over something.) Hate to be a nitpicker, but we journalists should care. Besides, the wild horses image is just so fitting.