Posts by Alex Parker

Forrest Claypool's campaign for Cook County assessor has cleared another hurdle, as his Democratic opponent, Board of Review Commissioner Joseph Berrios, announced today his campaign would not pursue a challenge to Claypool's signatures.

Last week, Claypool submitted about 90,000 signatures to the county clerk's office, and expected a stiff challenge from the Berrios camp.

Berrios' spokesman, Manuel Galvan, said in a statement the campaign found more than 53,000 suspect signatures. But with more than 30,000 valid signatures remaining, Claypool still garnered more than the 25,000 required to get on the ballot. Read more...

A former Republican candidate for Cook County board president is setting his sights on the city.

John Garrido, a Chicago policeman who lost to Roger Keats in the Republican primary, announced Saturday he would run for 45th Ward alderman.

"As a long time ward res­i­dent, home­owner and vet­eran Chicago Police Lieutenant, I’ve reg­u­larly seen the neg­a­tive impact self-​​serving politi­cians have on our com­mu­nity," Garrido said on his website. "Rather than rep­re­sent our best inter­ests, they too often become con­sumed with power and greed. As a result, we the com­mu­nity suf­fer while their friends and fam­ily pros­per. This has to change!" Read more...

Forrest Claypool, the county commissioner who left the Democratic party to run as independent candidate for Cook County assessor, says he'll file petitions today signed by more than 90,000 voters in his bid to get on the ballot in November.

Claypool is running against Democrat Joseph Berrios, a board of review commissioner and chairman of the party, Republican Sharon Strobeck-Eckersall, a former Evanston assessor, and the Green Party's Robert Grota.

Claypool announced his candidacy in early April, angering Democrats by leaving the party and running without having participated in the primary. He needed to garner 25,000 signatures to get on the ballot, and expects a tough challenge from election lawyers retained by the Berrios campaign. Read more...

Inspectors gave John H. Stroger Hospital passing marks for open heart bypass surgery and hip replacements, but dinged it for problems in infection control and blood vessel surgery.

Hospital officials yesterday announced the results of a review by the Joint Commission, a nonprofit industry group that accredits hospitals. Stroger's accreditation, which is good for three years, was renewed. 

The hospital also met or exceeded the commission's standards for coronary bypass grafts and hystorectomies. In addition to infection control and blood vessel surgery, Stroger was also deemed less-than-standard in colon/large intestine surgery, officials say.  Read more...

The newly-named chief of investigations for the county medical examiner's office is under fire for allegedly discriminating against white officers he oversees as Dolton police chief. (WLS-AM)

The troubled President's Office of Employment Training will be overseen by state Rep. Art Turner. (Tribune)

The confusing world of Cook County property taxes: Designed to befuddle. (SouthtownStar)

For the second time in a month, Cook County commissioners yesterday failed to override a veto by County Board President Todd Stroger.

At the board's meeting May 18, Stroger's veto of a county-wide hiring freeze was upheld. This time, commissioners were unable to muster the 11 votes needed to force through an ordinance giving them closer supervision of personnel issues. The override attempt failed with nine yeas, six nays and two absent.

Stroger seemed pleased as he watched commissioners debate the veto override. He argued, as he did last month, that such an ordinance encroached on his power. It would have required him to notify the commission when he hired or gave raises to employees  exempt from the county's patronage laws. Read more...

Calling an Arizona law aimed at finding illegal immigrants un-American, Cook County commissioners today approved a resolution boycotting the state and giving the board power to end any contracts with vendors located in the state.

But in a quick turn of events, commissioners then approved a contract with a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company that will supply red-light cameras in the Cook suburbs.

Commissioners Edwin Reyes and Joseph Mario Moreno, the board's lone Latinos, led the charge to boycott Arizona businesses. Read more...

Cook County commissioners overwhelmingly voted in favor of making the independent board governing the Cook County Health and Hospitals System permanent this morning.

The ordinance creating the health board in 2008 was set to expire next year. Commissioners voted 13-3, with one absent, to make the board permanent.

But while the health board is now permanent, county commissioners say provisions in the amended ordinance would allow the health board to revert back to the County Board's control, if there were enough votes. Read more...

Cook County Health and Hospitals System officials are mulling a contract proposal from PriceWaterhouseCoopers to provide financial performance improvement, which would require the early cancellation of the current contract with MedAssets.

The health board yesterday voted to defer a decision on ending a contract for financial performance improvement with MedAssets, which has two years left on its contract.

CFO Michael Ayres told the board that PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimated it can help the health system generate $313 million over two years, compared to the $75 million a year estimated by MedAssets. But questions arose as to how PriceWaterhouseCoopers could promise such substantial dollars. Read more...

The Trib's editorial board pshaws at what it calls a conflict of interest for Joe Berrios, who this week cheered the passage of video gaming legislation. He's a lobbyist for the industry. (Tribune)

A somewhat amusing refute, channeling JibJab, of Fox Chicago News' reports on a census contract given to a local rap group. (Chicago Fabulous Blog)

Stroger vetoes a County Board measure to require board approval on Shakman-exempt hires and salary changes. (Sun-Times) Read more...

Consultants for the Cook County Health and Hospitals will recommend that the system look to the county's northwest corridor as a new market, while using Oak Forest Hospital as a regional outpatient center. 

John Abendshien, a consultant working on a long-term strategic plan for the system, told hospital board members that changes in health care will require more locations to treat more patients, and they must be ready.

"There is going to be a rising tide of demand," he said during the board's regular meeting today. Read more...

The Cook County Health and Hospitals System's board tomorrow will debate a resolution in support of making the system permanently independent of county government. 

The 2008 ordinance establishing the independent board calls for the health system to revert back to Cook County Board oversight in 2011.

Making the health board permanent was a campaign point for candidates vying for the County Board presidency. Both Democrat Toni Preckwinkle and Republican Roger Keats support making it permanent; Green Party candidate Tom Tresser says he would like the board embrace more diversity and community input. Read more...

Citing the recent revelations about questionable contracts approved by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley is seeking a federal inquiry into whether the county misspent grant funds. 

A number of news reports have highlighted so-called "24-9" contracts - those that come in just under the $25,000 threshold that requires County Board approval.

Quigley yesterday asked the Government Accountability Office to look into whether the county mishandled federal funds in the months following Stroger's defeat in the Democratic primary. Read more...

Following news yesterday that Democratic nominee for Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle would not commit to repealing the remainder of the county's sales tax until 2012 at the earliest, Preckwinkle's opponents went on the offensive.

The Cook County Republican Party released a statement calling her a flip-flopper and dishonest.

"After months of misleading voters, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle has finally acknowledged she has no intention of immediately repealing the Cook County sales tax increase and will not cut wasteful spending to east the tax burden," the statement says. Read more...