Cook County Blog

Stroger and Madigan Meet Econ 101

Crain's reported yesterday that Mike Madigan lifted a hold on legislation that would slash Stroger's one percent sales tax increase. A companion bill reduces the number of commissioners necessary to override his veto.

There is a very interesting explanation at the Huffpo of how Cook County's taxes are laid on top of each other.

The Cook County tax mess is thick and deep like horse manure you need to have long boots on to shovel.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paras-bhayani/stroger-and-madigan-meet_b_314300.html

My Suburban Life:

The issue

The village (Bartlett) set up a tax-increment financing district (TIF) in December 1986 to revitalize its downtown by attracting new businesses and upgrading buildings and infrastructure. In May 2009, trustees brought up the idea of a one-year extension. Extending the TIF district for one more year would generate about $1.5 million, however, if the extension is granted, other taxing bodies would have to wait until the TIF expires to see any of the additional revenue.

More of this capital improvement stuff.  Fighting over the scraps...like vultures.

Since the TIF will not end on its own, the board must vote on an ordinance at its Oct. 20 board meeting. Mraz said the money has been locked up by Cook County and Bartlett won’t see the money if they do not make a decision. Taxing bodies must be notified of the decision by Nov. 1. The board will have three options: They can vote to extend the TIF, not extend the TIF, or extend contingent upon the fact that a portion also is refunded back to the taxing bodies.

Read the whole thing at My Suburban Life. 

From an article posted October 6th at Clout Street

The Cook County Board today voted to expand the power of county’s inspector general to investigate elected officials.

Inspector General Patrick Blanchard and his successors now will be able to initiate an investigation of an elected official on their own, providing they meet a U.S. Supreme Court standard of suspicion.

 Sounds pretty subjective.

Previously, the inspector general could investigate elected officials only if someone signed a complaint against that official.

Commissioner John Daley, D-Chicago, noted that the state now uses the same suspicion standard, one that falls somewhere lower than probable cause.

With the hearsay law in place, and now a standard that 'falls somewhere lower than probable cause', I see a lot of potential trouble here.  As if Cook County doesn't have enough.

On a smaller scale, Governor Quinn's capital improvement plan is the equivalent of the Stimulus Package; a waste of taxpayer dollars to be thrown at improving roads, bridges, etc. And the jobs that it would produce would only be temporary; they would go away when these projects are completed.   Quinn's plan involved the assumption that a hefty revenue stream would be pouring in from videogaming to pay for it.

Knowing the history of problems in Illinois with graft and lobbyists, special interests and union organizers, it should come as little surprise that Bridget Gainer, was, according to the Southwest News Herald:

appointed by Chicago Machine committeemen to succeed Mike Quigley in the 10th district in Chicago,

Gainer is a former lobbyist for AON, and her father is Bill Gainer, who is personal friends with the Daleys.  In fact, she-

received at least $2,000 from casino-related interests to her election campaign committee three weeks before proposing the video gaming machine ban.

So we can see the handwriting on the wall here.  With cash incentives, Gainer then proceeded to artificially influence the marketplace and take away the casinos' competition for the revenues.  Although, as some have pointed out, poor people tend to gamble; and in a sense, this is taking advantage of some of the most vulnerable among us.

Asked about Gainer receiving funds from two executive of the 10th Casino licensee, Midwest Gaming & Entertainment LLC, Pappas said that the vote might have been different at the Finance Committee if other commissioners knew.

There are more donations to Gainer from 'interested parties' that people should have been aware of:

On June 30, 2009, Gainer’s election campaign received $1,000 from Leslie Bluhm. Bluhm is listed on Gainer’s disclosure forms as working with “Lamb Partners.” On the same day, Gainer also received $1,000 from Gregory Carlin, who is also listed as an executive with at Lamb Partners.

Leslie Bluhm is the daughter of Midwest Gaming Chairman Neil Bluhm, and she is also a “partner” in Midwest Gaming. Gregory Carlin is President of Midwest Gaming. Neil Bluhm has many corporate interests in Illinois including Lamb Partners. He is also president of JMB Realty Corporation.

Gainer’s legislation was fast-tracked through the county board over the objections of several commissioners who asked that public hearings be held first. In fact, no "public hearings" were held on Gainer’s bill which sat dormant in the Finance Committee until Gainer asked Finance Committee Chairman John Daley to put the bill on an agenda for a vote. That vote was taken last Thursday, October 1, 2009 immediately after a few members of the public, last minute, were allowed to speak on the issue.

It is highly unusual for an appointee to become the point person for legislation like this.  It is even more unusual for legislation to be fast tracked so quickly without much of an opportunity for debate.  The measure was passed yesterday, October 6, when the full board voted on it. With the cigarette ban which has reduced revenue that would have poured into the Capital Improvement Program, and now this - Quinn is going to have to invent some additional ways to rape taxpayers to pay for it.

Cook County bans video poker in unincorporated areas (Daily Herald)

The Cook County Board stood up to 11th-hour lobbying by the video-gambling industry today and passed a ban on video poker in unincorporated areas.

In some ways, it was a redundant act, in that the county already bans video gambling, but the new ordinance, sponsored by Democratic Chicago Commissioner Bridget Gainer, specifically addressed language and machines cited in the new $31 billion state public-works bill passed earlier this year in Springfield.

"It's just not the way to fund governmental operations," said Riverside Republican Commissioner Tony Peraica. "We need to stop enabling the state legislature in their foolishness."

Republican Commissioner Liz Gorman, of Orland Park, noted that the public-works bill, which intended to fund about one-third of its total cost through video gambling, had the backing of Republicans in the General Assembly. Gov. Quinn, however, worked to add language allowing local governments to "opt out" if they so desired, and Cook's action today followed DuPage and Lake counties and dozens of municipalities in doing so.

At the moment, the ban affects only 53 places with liquor licenses in unincorporated Cook. Yet it adds political momentum to the public outcry against expanding video gambling.

53 places with liquor licenses in unincorporated Cook; I wonder how much the Casinos think they're going to make on this maneuver when the competition is taken away from them like this.

Gorman called it "hypocritical" and said that it was about protecting the larger gambling industry from video competition, adding they should either ban all gambling or none at all.

Gainer appears to be the hero today.

The commissioners voted unanimously 15-0, however, to approve Gainer's "Sunshine" lobbying-reform initiative. It will call on all lobbyists to register and report their activity online through the office of County Clerk David Orr, who helped form the ordinance.

The new law will also ban all county employees from lobbying on county affairs for a year after they leave their government positions. The lobbying Web site is due to be up and running by next summer.

Gainer is a former lobbyist for AON, her dad is Bill Gainer, a retired lobbyist who is good friends with the Daleys. Bridget is said to have been placed there to give Stroger the majority of votes on the Board. There is so much cronyism and nepotism here it's difficult to fathom.

None of this, as far as I can tell, works to the benefit of taxpayers.

Chicago Breaking News

Scores of people are at today's Cook County Board meeting to protest the expected passage of a measure that tweaks the county's already existing video-gambling ban in unincorporated areas.

The protesters, not all of whom could get into the meeting because of fire-code occupancy limits, were organized by the 130-member Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association, said Tom Fiedler, the group's president.

The protesters, who are unlikely to get a chance to speak because a public hearing on the issue was held last week, are wearing white T-shirts that say "JOBS, JOBS, JOBS" on the front, and "DON'T OPT OUT" on the back.

Fiedler said the protesters include his members, restaurant and bar owners that would benefit from video gambling, as well as union representatives.

This short article refers to Clout Street for more so let's go over there for a moment.

By passing the measure, Cook County joined scores of municipalities and counties across Illinois that have banned the machines. Opponents contend they are “the crack cocaine” of gambling, have been linked to the Chicago Outfit and would be difficult and expensive to regulate.

But regulating is what they're doing with it, isn't it?

The Cook County Board today tweaked its ban on video gambling to ensure the betting machines won’t be allowed in unincorporated areas under Gov. Pat Quinn’s statewide construction plan.

But as mentioned before, it's the Casinos that are behind this because video gambling would take a bite out of their "take". This is a fight for a cut of the "take".

Previous:

Cook County Commissioners to vote on overriding Cook County President's veto requirements; Video Poker

Casino donations tied to sponsor of video gaming machine ban

Chicago Public Radio reports that the Cook County Commissioners are going to vote on override measures to Todd Stroger's veto power. This may make sense in the grande scheme of things where Todd Stroger's ineptness is concerned; but it gives more power to the Cook County Commissioners, which probably isn't a good thing, either.

Later this morning, Cook County Commissioners are expected to urge Illinois lawmakers to change some strict veto override requirements.

Last month commissioners opposed to Board President Todd Stroger's sales tax hike tried to override his veto of an ordinance to cut the tax by half-a-penny on the dollar. Commissioners thought they had the 14 votes needed to make the override, but one commissioner changed her mind.

Today the Cook County Board will take up a resolution that asks state legislators to pass a bill allowing commissioners to override a veto by a 3/5 majority, instead of the current 4/5. The proposed resolution says Cook County is the only one in the state with that high of a requirement.

Also this morning, commissioners will take up an ordinance to ban video poker in unincorporated parts of the county. Illinois lawmakers legalized the machines to help pay for a multi-billion dollar construction plan. Local governments can choose to opt out of the deal.

Two hot button issues are to be voted on today; overriding veto power and video poker. Previous post on video gaming, here.

The Cook County Finance Committee voted in early October to ban video gambling in unincorporated areas of Cook County, but today at its October 6th meeting,the full county board is expected to vote on the ban.

Cmdr. Michael Anton, head of the vice unit for the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department, said the department opposes legalized video gaming. He called it virtually impossible to regulate. -MedIll Reports

From Illinois Crime and Politics:

Cook County Board president Todd Stroger is in a world of trouble.  But maybe not, if you know Chicago politics.  In the fall of 2008, Stroger hired Tony Cole, a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse busboy with a lengthy criminal record.  So much for the "vetting" process.  Somehow Stroger's cousin, Donna Dunnings is involved in this, as I keep seeing reports that she has bailed Tony Cole out of jail on a few occasions. Donna Dunnings was Cook County's Chief Financial Officer.

Originally from Baton Rouge, La., Cole came to authorities' attention when he was an aspiring basketball player at a Rhode Island community college. He was accused of misconduct by three women. The university barred him from the campus, and he was twice arrested on charges of trespassing, according to court records. In March 2000, he was expelled after two female employees of the athletic department accused him of groping them.

A year later, Cole was recruited to the University of Georgia by coach Jim Harrick, according to court records.

In January 2002 Cole's girlfriend at Georgia accused him of being involved in gang-raping her.

Cole and two friends were indicted on sexual assault charges, but after one was acquitted, the charges against Cole and the other defendant were dropped. Nonetheless, school officials kicked him off the team, and he dropped out of Georgia in early 2003, according to court records.

After he left the university, Cole leveled allegations of NCAA rules violations including grade-fixing against Harrick that led to the coach's resignation.

After returning to Baton Rouge, Cole was charged with aggravated assault after being accused of threatening a former girlfriend with an assault rifle. The assault charge was dropped, but he was convicted of bouncing a $578 rent check in Georgia—a felony conviction Stroger said was never disclosed.  (Chicago Tribune Stroger hires wayward ex-busboy for county job, cousin takes fall)

And this was supposedly the reasoning for his firing Cole?-Cole's undisclosed felony conviction for bounding a $578 rent check in Georgia?

In June 2008 he (Cole) was charged with domestic battery for allegedly striking his girlfriend, according to court records. He allegedly violated an order of protection twice by harassing her at her home, according to court records. He was released after a November arrest once Dunnings posted bail for him of $1,000, court records show. (Chicago Tribune Stroger hires wayward ex-busboy for county job, cousin takes fall)

On October 14, 2008-Tony Cole was hired as an administrative assistant with an annual salary of $48,289. Magically, within a short period of time, Cole's salary jumped to $61,189 as a human resources assistant in the Cook County Highway Department.

In January 2009, prosecutors increased Cole's bail to $40,000 after he allegedly made threatening telephone calls to his accuser at her work over several days. Dunnings (Stroger's cousin) posted $3,000 to have him released, according to the records. This month, Cole was not home as required when authorities made an unannounced visit. He was arrested Tuesday and his bail was raised to $200,000.

It was the latest episode in a years-long pattern of allegations involving violence against women. (ibid)

In April, 2009, Donna Dunnings, Stroger's cousin and Cook County's Chief Financial Officer, resigned. Cole was fired some time beforehand. There is a grand jury investigation regarding Stroger's reckless hiring decisions.

Huffington Post from April 21, 2009:

Three suburban townships, frustrated with the county's high sales tax, voted to secede from Cook County earlier this month. And Stroger's support among Chicago's African American voters, which was a rock-solid 90 percent in the 2006 primary, is also wavering.

"People are not going to just vote for you 'cause you're black anymore," Ald. Ed Smith (28th) told CBS 2. "People are looking at quality, integrity, character."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/21/stroger-media-blitz-fails_n_189554.html

Stroger and a subpoena (Chicago Tribune)

It's an effort on the part of lawmakers to rein in the horrible nepotism that goes on in Cook County government. At least the spirit of it seems to be reasonable; it was drafted by Commissioner Elizabeth Gorman (R- Orland Park), who said

"This is an opportunity for Cook County to lead the way in ethics reform....How 'bout that?"

Indeed.

It requires Cook County contractors and lobbyists to reveal the names of relatives who work for local government; whether county, state or municipal.

This comes on the heels of the measure I mentioned in another post requiring lobbyists to make disclosures online - but another measure which cuts donations contractors can make to political campaigns in half.

More at the Chicagoist.

It's all well and good to put measures in place - but if you don't enforce them and allow people to skate based on party affiliation and politics, what good are they?