Charges to be filed against Suburban Regional Schools Supt. Charles Flowers, officials said

Charles Flowers, Superintendent of the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, turned himself into authorities today on charges of public corruption, officials said today. 

Flowers is alleged to have stolen thousands of dollars from the bankrupt agency.  He and the agency are also owe $190,000 loaned by the Cook County Board that was never repaid.

County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman praised the arrest. Gorman was the only commissioner who opposed the loan when it was first brought before the board, and last year, the entire board reversed itself and joined Gorman in condemning Flowers' alleged mismanagement of the office.

“As a suburban commissioner, I worked closely with his predecessor Robert Ingraffia which gave me familiarity and perspective of the office so when Flowers came to the county board asking for the loan I did my due diligence and was made aware of some alleged questionable practices taking place in his office.  That’s why I stood my ground and was the only commissioner to vote “No” and oppose the $190,000 loan to Flowers.”  In July, a civil suit was brought against Flowers and the agency by the state's attorney's office for failing to repay this $190,000 loan from the county.

“It’s such a shame that the voters chose to replace a well-respected career educator and a man with the highest integrity like Robert Ingraffia with an alleged criminal like Charles Flowers.”

Click here to read Gorman's full press release.

State's Attorney Anita Alvarez is expected to formally announce criminal charges against Flowers at a press conference this afternoon.

The charges are the result of a separate criminal probe into allegations that he used agency funds for his own personal gain. Last year, a state audit found that the agency was $1 million in debt and accused Flowers of using a work credit card for personal use as well as giving a $6,000 advance to a relative he hired to work for him.

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com

Pat Maher accuses Gorman of sponsoring challenger in Democratic primary

Pat Maher, the president of the Orland Fire Protection District, is accusing Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman with sponsoring one of his challengers. Their evidence is that one of the candidates, Donna Sanders, a respected member of the local library board, is backed by Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings. He says that the petitions for Sanders and John Maher, another candidate in the crowded primary, will be made available to the public.

Maher's campaign has been trying to ignore the challenge from Dr. Victor Forys, who has the backing of most Democratic leaders in the 17th County district in the February 2, 2009 Democratic Primary.

I had a chance to review all the petitions for all the candidates and the only thing thats truck me as odd was the petitions circulated by Maher's dad, Orland Park Village Clerk David Maher. In one instance on one of the petitions circulated by David Maher, the signatures of four family members at the same address were signed exactly alike, as if one person signed them.  That's how it looked to me. Of course, being a village clerk, David Maher would know that each voter must sign their own petitions and no one can sign for some else

In the release, Maher also denies he raised taxes for the Orland Fire Protection District, which is not truthful. The fact is Maher cut back the amount of taxes in the county's budget one year, and  then increased it back, creating an artificial reduction in taxes. The tragic fact is that under Maher, the Orland Fire Protection District has the largest tax bite of any government agency on your property tax bills. Look at them yourself, 12.51 percent of the entire property tax bill -- the largest bite with the exception of the schools -- is what the OFPD takes from your taxes.

You can bet this is going to a muddy campaign. Here is Maher's press release and statement from his campaign manager in front of the release, Trevor Montgomery:

Mayor Kyle Hastings of Orland Hills, his family and supporters circulated the vast majority of Donna Sanders petitions. Hastings is a known ally of Republican incumbent Liz Gorman. Paid workers circulated the majority of John Maher's petitions. Other petitions were circulated at a bar in Orland Park that has hosted recent fundraisers for Liz Gorman and is owned by a support of Gorman's. John Maher has only voted once since 2002 and filed at a different address than he is registered to vote. Copies of petitions filed by John Maher and Donna Sanders are available upon request. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11/16/2009

Media Contact: Trevor Montgomery

Democrat Patrick Maher Shuts Down Gorman’s Political Games

Republican incumbent Liz Gorman is already playing the tired old political games for which our failed Cook County Board is known.

Patrick Maher, Democratic candidate for the Cook County Board, has filed a petition challenge against two candidates — John Maher, of Palos Heights, and Donna Sanders, of Orland Hills. Maher said the addition of John Maher, in particular, to the ballot is a clear attempt by Gorman to confuse Democratic Primary voters.

“Putting someone with the same last name on the ballot to manipulate voters is one of the oldest and lamest tricks in the book. John Maher and Donna Sanders have a history of not voting in Democratic primaries, they are not active in local Democratic politics and they are not serious candidates. Most importantly, they did not meet the qualifications for appearing on the ballot,” he said.

Both John Maher and Donna Sanders filed petitions rife with errors.

“I’m not going to allow the Republican incumbent to hijack the Democratic Primary so she can pursue her selfish political agenda. She knows that I’m the strongest candidate in the field. My concern is that the primary voters and my campaign do not fall victim to politics as usual.” Maher said he personally filed the challenges because it was important for him to ensure that the Democratic Primary ballot includes only serious Democratic candidates.

“We’re at a crucial turning point in terms of Cook County government. I put my own name on these challenges because I’m not going to hide, to have someone else go through the process for me. I’m not going to play games. My campaign is about fixing the way politics is done and changing the way politics is conducted on the Cook County Board,” he said.

Gorman is already pulling out all the stops in her bid to interfere with the Democratic Primary and smear her strongest likely opponent in the General Election. Just last week, she sent out a misleading email indicating that the Orland Fire Protection District is raising your taxes. The fire protection district, of which Maher is President, has actually lowered its tax rate by over 20% and has returned more than $1.3 million in tax cuts to the voters.

A hearing will be held today at the Cook County Board of Elections regarding both petition challenges.

###

Forys appointed to state board of health by Governor Pat Quinn, faces battle in 17th District

Dr. Victor Forys, the leading Democratic candidate in the 17th Cook County Board district's battle for the party nomination in the Feb. 2, was named this week by Gov. Quinn to the Illinois Board of Health.

Quinn and a laundry list of leading Democrats have endorsed Forys in his bid to the win the Democratic primary, but many media have been pretending he doesn't exist as a candidate to promote their friend and heir to 19th Ward political clout Pat Maher, the controversy-plagued president of the Orland Fire Protection District.

The 17th District is solidly Republican and the seat is now held by Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman, who in two terms has become the leading advocate for tax reduction on the Cook County board.

It's a fascinating race and any Democrat who wins the primary will have a tough time defeating Gorman, whose record on fighting taxes has emboldened not only other county board members but the Illinois General Assembly to fight the tax-raising administration of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. Two other candidates are running in the Democratic primary and one more is running in the Republican primary. (You can read a complete story by clicking here.)

Forys is being written off because the district is a bowling alley that geographically looks like it is founded on Orland Park. But while Orland Township may look like it has the weighted vote, as you move north, the voter density increases significantly.

The district, as you can see, stretches from Wheeling and Northfield all the way down along the Cook County Board to Orland Township in the South.

Forys ran in the last battle for the Congressional seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff to President Barack Obama, which was won by former County Commissioner Mike Quigley. Although Forys did not win, he raised a substantial amount of money and received strong endorsements, as he is doing again this year.

Forys believes that he can win the Democratic Primary on Feb. 2 by allowing Maher, who is backed by the 19th Ward Machine that is trying to put Orland Township is a political headlock, to fight with Gorman. And Maher hasn't hesitated to attack Gorman, even though the winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries won't face off until 9 months later. Maher is hoping to deflect voter attention away from the Orland Fire Protection District's outrageous tax increases and from the fact that the OFPD takes the largest bite out of the district's taxpayer's pocketbook of any other taxing body save for the schools -- more than 12.5 percent of the county's bills pays for Maher's fiefdom.

Maher is the politically ambitious son of Orland Park's part-time village clerk David Maher, who  is a county patronage employee working for 19th Ward superstar and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. Stroger oversees their budget and all are Democrats.

But Gorman has elevated herself above Maher and others by being the most vocal anti-tax member of the Cook County Board. Gorman was the only county commissioner to challenge a $190,000 county loan to controversial Regional Schools Superintendent Charles Flowers.  Flowers budget has since come under scrutiny. A report by the auditor general shows that Flowers has since mismanaged millions of dollars in funds. His office has an annual budget of about $1 million and is reportedly more than $1 million in debt. The audit shows that Flowers has borrowed money to pay for all kinds of expenses, without proper records, but he insisted he has repaid everything.

Gorman was the only voice to challenge Flowers' poor leadership. But this past June, the entire County board joined Gorman to repudiate Flowers and reject the loan and acknowledge Gorman's leadership.

And, Gorman was the leader of a coalition of Republicans and Democrats on the Cook County Board to repeal Todd Stroger's repressive 1 percent sales tax, which is crippling the county's taxpayers and forcing businesses to relocate to neighboring counties. Stroger used his veto to block the last effort. Gorman was so persistent that she help force the county board to try three times to repeal and roll back the tax and that caught the attention of the Illinois General Assembly which then voted to reduce the number of votes needed to override Stroger's outrageous 80 percent override vote need.

Now, Gorman and others are planning to launch another drive to rollback the sales tax with a better chance of withstanding Stroger's pro-tax veto.

Forys will have his work cut out for him in November against Gorman, but first he has to win the February Democratic Primary, and that's a race some don't want you to know he is in.

Of course, don't right off  Donna Sanders who also hails from the Orland Township district and is running in the Democratic primary. A popular library turstee, Sanders has real credentials and you can't ignore the powerful woman's vote in this district. They have a voice. On the Cook County Board, that voice, though, belongs to Gorman.

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com

2nd Maher throws hat in for Cook County board ... and Orland Township committeeman

Gerald Maher, who was soundly defeated in a bid to unseat Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin last Spring, has turned his sights against his own Republican Party and is soliciting signatures to challenge Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman both as Cook County Commissioner and the GOP Committeeman.

Maher, a Republican, believes he didn’t get enough support from Gorman and the Orland Township Republican Party in his bid to unseat McLaughlin and even alleged that Gorman backed McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, a union communications director, is also the Democratic Committeeman of Orland Park. Here's how Maher and McLaughlin did in the past three elections:

2001

Dan McLaughlin      6771 votes

Gerald Maher          2704 votes

2005

Dan McLaughlin      9248 (unopposed)

2009

Dan McLaughlin      5427

Gerald Maher         3049

Gerald Maher denied his candidacy is intended to help the candidacy of Patrick Maher, the Orland Fire Protection District president and the son of Orland Park Village Clerk David Maher, a McLaughlin ally.

“I am running because I want to make a difference in the 17^th Cook County District,” Maher said Tuesday during a telephone interview while soliciting signatures for his petitions. “Liz Gorman has been in office eight years and what has she done? Nothing. But absolutely, this has to do with her not supporting me and not doing what a committeeman is supposed to do when I ran for office.”

Maher said he is running for both positions that Gorman holds including Republican Committeeman for Orland Township.

Gorman, who has been leading the effort to repeal Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s oppressive 1 percent Sales Tax, scoffed at Gerald Maher’s assertions.

“He’s a stalking horse,” she said. “I put out a mailer for every one who ran for office and the only group I endorsed who lost was Gerald Maher’s slate. The highest vote getter came from the Republican side and I am proud of that. I had him in the endorsement sheet and he didn’t even have a mailer,” Gorman said.

“At the end of the day, everyone will figure out that Gerald Maher is a disgruntled wannabe public official who is upset not because I and the Republican Party did not help him. He is upset because has tried repeatedly to win office and has been consistently rejected by the voters. ‘Liz Gorman’ didn’t make him lose. We did everything for him. He lost because the voters don’t like him. He did it to himself.”

Gorman also said that she finds it ironic that Gerald Maher and David Maher got into a high profile battle over who was using whose name to win votes. (Read the story on the Maher vs Maher name controversy?) She is referring to the letter that was published in the Orland Pairie newspaper just before the village election in which David Maher, the village clerk, blasted Gerald Maher for using their good name.

Gerald Maher said he despises the tactics David Maher used in the last election and he insisted his own candidacy is not an effort to boost David Maher’s son’s chances next year. He also denied that Gorman endorsed his candidacy, but Gorman showed me her Township GOP brochure that in fact did include Maher's Ad, discounted.

“Is my candidacy a plus or minus for Pat Maher. I see it as an absolute minus. Contrary to what his father claims, I have been to Tipperary, Ireland and that is where the Maher name originates,” Gerald Maher said.

“They don’t pronounce it Mah-her there. They pronounce it ‘Maer.’ That name belongs to me as much as it does anyone else. For them to think they have the ownership of that name is naïve at best. Is it helping Pat Maher? Absolutely not. It is just the opposite.”

In an unexpected move, Gerald Maher's brother Robert Maher announced his unequivocal support for Gorman, blasting his brother and blaming him for his own election defeat. Robert Maher served as Orland Township Supervisor and was ousted in the April 7 elections by Democrat Paul O'Grady.

"I lost the election to Paul O'Grady mainly because my brother Gerald ran against Mayor McLaughlin and that caused a lot of confusion. But I think worst of all is my brother Gerald ran a terrible race," Robert Maher said in a telephone interview.

"I want to make it clear that I wholeheartedly support Liz Gorman's re-election for the Cook County Board and for Republican Committeeman. She has led the fight to repeal the 1 percent sales tax and to challenge County Board President Todd Stroger. She could not have done more for me in my election bid and I believe she is one of the most effective Republican leaders and county commissioners we have."

Patrick Maher is expected to file next week for the office of County Board in the Democratic Primary. He is expected to face Dr. Victor Forys in the February primary election. The winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries will face-off in the November 2010 general elections.

end

Reading the election fine print in the 17th Cook County District

A friend went to Randy's Market Monday in the Mall that the Village has been trying to shut down for the past year at 143rd and LaGrange when a woman came up to him and said, "Can you sign this petition? We want to get rid of Todd Stroger."

Now, my friend is no big fan of Todd Stroger, the Cook County Board President who shoved a 1 percent sales tax hike down our throats forcing businesses in Orland Park and other communities on the county's western borders to flee. So he said he stopped to sign and saw that it was actually a petition to Put Patrick Maher, the Democratic candidate for the Cook County 17th District on the ballot.

The friend was smart enough to ask what was up considering Pat Maher's father is in fact David Maher, the clerk of the Village of Orland Park, the very same village trying to shut down Randy's Market. And of course, he also knows that those "Mahers" are related to the powerful 19th Ward family of Tom and Dan Hynes, who both, by the way, have been big political backers of the Strogers, Todd and his late father John, for years.

I emailed Pat Maher (earlier today) asking him if in fact he is campaigning to oust Todd Stroger, because that would be a good story. It's especially a good story since Maher and Stroger are both Democrats and he is trying to unseat Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman, the Republican incumbent from the 17th District who has been a serious pain in Stroger's ass this past year. It was Gorman who wouldn't relent on the campaign to repeal Stroger's sales tax. Although the effort fell short several times, her efforts have made the Sales Tax repeal the most talked about issue for voters in Cook County. Maher, by the way, is the president of the Orland Fire Protection District.

Maher must face-off first with Victor Forys, who has a penchant for raising huge campaign contributions, in the Democratic primary. It's not a certainty that Maher will win and Forys has lined up significant Democratic backing for his campaign from Gov. Pat Quinn and many Democratic commissioners and party leaders in the bowling alley district that stretches from Orland Park to the northwest suburbs.

When asked about the incident, a manager at Randy's Market told my friend that he thought the petitions were for the Mahers (Gerald and Robert) who opposed the closing of the mall but who are not related to the David and Patrick Mahers. Ironically, David Maher published a letter in the local paper blasting the "other" Mahers claiming they were telling people they were "related" and abusing their "good name."

(I emailed Maher asking for his response and comments and also also Gorman and Forys. I'll post their comments in an update if and when they come in.)

Candidates turn in their signatures for the February election beginning Monday October 26 and have until Monday Nov. 2, which is another story I'll be writing about called "coincidences." (There are no coincidences in politics.)

Aaah. Politics! Nothing changes whether its in Chicago's Machine backyard or in the mini-19th Ward called Orland Park.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

More fallout from Gainer's sloppy campaign disclosure forms

Leaders from Cook County and several unions decried Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer's proposed ban on video gaming machines that comes up for a fast-tracked vote this morning before the full board, citing possible conflicts of interest and the damage the legislation could do to local and state economies and job losses.

Visit www.SuburbanChicagoland.com for more on the story this morning.

SCOOP: Drive to ban video gaming in Cook County has ties to casino industry

Check out my SCOOP on the donations commissioners on the Cook County Board received from the casino industry only three weeks before introducing a bill to ban the video gaming machines from Cook and DuPage counties. 


Click here to read the story or go to www.SuburbanChicagoland.com.


Video Gaming Machines would compete for dollars with the casinos and some casino owners and lobbyists do not want it. The subject will be the topic of this morning's radio show on WJJG 1530 AM (8-9:30 am). You can also listen online at www.RadioChicagoland.com. 


Here's the link to the story on donations Commissioner Bridget Gainer, the chief sponsor of the video gaming machine ban in Cook County, received.


I'll be posting updates on the story as I receive them. Not all of the commissioners commented (I've been trying to get comment since Thursday from some).


-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Stroger may have won (and taxpayers lost) this battle, but Stroger will lose the war

Stroger may have won the battle but not the war

By Ray Hanania

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger boasts he won the battle to “save” the 1 percent hike in the county sales tax, a repressive tax that mostly harms the poor and lower incomed citizens.

Stroger’s victory came when Commissioner Deborah Sims, who supported the tax hike and who later – under pressure from constituents – voted to roll it back a ½ percent, flip-flopped again and refused to support the override of Stroger’s veto.

Sims’ told reporters she owed her loyalty to Stroger, the silver-spoon-fed politician who was lifted to public office by his powerful father, the late and former County Board President. Stroger has never had to work a single day of his life in a real job and the notion of paying a sales tax means nothing to someone who has everything done for him in life.

Although Stroger managed to prevent a repeal of half of his repressive sales tax hike – his only real achievement since the county board presidency was handed to him on a silver spoon – Stroger faces losing the war in the Democratic primary election Feb. 2.

Several strong candidates have stood up to challenge Stroger in the Democratic primary, Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown and Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle. It will be a tough battle, the notion being that Brown and Preckwinkle and others will divide the anti-Stroger vote. Congressman Danny Davis is also eying the race. But Stroger has so little popularity in the county that dividing the anti-Stroger vote will still give the challengers strong pluralities to win.

The real hero in this saga, though, is not in the Democratic Party, although key Democratic members were among the leadership in fighting to rollback the repressive 1 percent Stroger Sales Tax hike, like Commissioners Larry Suffredin and John Daley.

County Commissioner Liz Gorman, a Republican, was dogged in her determination to protect Cook County taxpayers. She refused to give up when everyone said it was impossible to build a coalition to challenge Stroger’s veto threats.

Gorman stubbornly pushed the issue, first trying to roll back the entire sales tax hike, which is chasing businesses out of Cook County into neighboring suburban communities and placing a heavy burden on consumers who are scaling back purchases.

When that failed, she came back with a 1.4 percent roll back and then a 12 percent roll back. Her persistence raised public awareness of the incompetence of the Stroger administration. The fact is that despite all the tax money that Stroger can dole out to hire ineffective flaks to rattle his cause in the lobbies of local community newspapers, the public recognizes that Stroger is incapable of running county government.

He has a record alliance against him that crosses color lines and political party lines, too.

Stroger is a coward, too, and fears defending his administration’s actions, hiding behind an army of paid consultants, PR flaks and patronage people, including a few who have criminal records.

He is remembered not for great achievement and foresight in leadership, but for his typically Machine extravagances like hiring a busboy who catches his eye at a costly steak house. Or his inability to control his high-salaried staff who wield their power to benefit themselves personally.

Normally, incompetence in office is rewarded by the party Machine but the Machine is even tiring of his failed leadership.

Meanwhile, in Stroger’s beleaguered administration and as he stumbles through office avoiding responsibility or accountability, declining media interview requests and dodging the tough questions, Gorman is rising as a powerful watchdog to defend the rights of Cook County voters.

Her coalition includes insightful leadership like Daley and Suffredin and many others.

Hopefully, the tax advocates in Stroger’s alliance, including Joan Patricia Murphy, who unbelievably tried to push the sales tax up by 2 percent, and Sims, will be swept out of office with the rest of the trash in February.

Murphy is being challenged by Nick Valadez. Sims may be challenged again by Dian M. Powell. It’s still early but it could save taxpayers a lot of money if Stroger, Murphy and Sims would just step down. We can only hope.

END

Gorman credited with exposing financial mismanagement in regional schools superintendent's office

The Cook County Board last year granted a $190,000 loan to the Regional Schools Supt. Charles Flowers. Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman, from the 17th district, was the ONLY member of the board to vote against the loan. At the time, she was attacked as being anti-education and out of step with the rest of the board.

But yesterday came vindication. And many responsible county board members like Commissioners John Daley and Larry Suffredin acknowledged it was a mistake to give the controversy-plagued Flowers and his administration the loan, praising Gorman, who in the past year has risen to become one of the board's more responsible leaders and voices advocating for the rights of taxpayers.

Read the story?

A report by the auditor general shows that Flowers mismanaged millions of dollars in funds. His office has an annual budget of about $1 million and is reportedly more than $1 million in debt. The audit shows that Flowers has borrowed money to pay for all kinds of expenses, without proper records, but he insisted he has repaid everything.

But the idea that you can use a public agency like it is your own bank account is outrageous. Gorman saw this coming last year and deserves credit for bringing it to light.

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com

As we first reported, County rolls back the Todd Stroger sales tax in two-steps, not four

Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman's plan to roll back the "Todd Stroger Sales Tax," named in honor of beleaguered Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, was adopted this afternoon after superceding an original plan to do it four steps. The board approved a final version that rolls it all back in one move by Jan. 2010.

Gorman told the OrlandParker.com two weeks ago that she planned the introduce the tougher rollback and to force Stroger to trim back on wasteful spending that is mainly in his offices. Stroger can eliminate relatives and patronage off the payroll and cut his staff from 25 communications experts to five, for example. In fact, if Stroger initiated the cuts in his office first, most of the rest of the county would also trim back services and tighten their belts.

But Stroger, an inexperienced neophyte at the game who inherited the job with no real county experience following the death of his popular father, John Stroger, who was put in power with the backing of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Gorman will be on WJJG 1530 AM Radio at 4 PM CST/Central time discussing the rollback (http://www.radiochicagoland.com/). Invites also went out to Cook County Board Commissioner Larry Suffredin.

Stayed tuned for updates on this taxpayer victory!

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/

Cook County Commissioners call for probe of Dunnings scandal

Commissioner Lawrence "Larry" Suffredin (D-13th District) called on the U.S. Attorney to investigate the circumstances surrounding the firing of Cook County Chief Financial Officer Donna Dunnings.

Dunnings was forced to resign late Thursday night last week from her position as Cook County’s CFO by her cousin, County Board President Todd Stroger. It came in the wake of questionable dealings Dunnings had with another fired county employee, Tony Cole. A busboy working at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in River North, Cole was hired by Stroger when Stroger met him while having diner there. Cole had been arrested on domestic violence charges involving an ex-girl friend and was bailed out several times by Dunning who used undisclosed credit cards to pay the court bails.

“I am concerned about how much money might be missing. I don’t know that there is any. I have discovered over the weekend that one of these PR people Stroger hired was with Ms. Dunnings when she bailed out this individual Cole from the County Jail. She used a credit card,” said Suffredin during an interview Monday on WJJG 1530 AM’s “Radio Chicagoland.”

“We don’t know if it was a county credit card. We don’t know if it was reimbursed by the county. I am going to make a demand on the president and the state’s attorney, the U.S. Attorney and the inspector general that there is an accounting of all the funds. If this were a small corporation, and at 1:30 in the morning the CEO accepts the resignation of the CFO, there would be an emergency meeting the next day.”

Suffredin Friday called on Stroger to resign. He said new details demand careful scrutiny to insure that Dunnings had no abused her powers to come to Cole’s aid. Stroger said he expected Cole to make “explosive” charges against Dunnings.

“It’s outrageous,” Suffredin said. “This is a person who as the Chief Financial officer has access to all of the county’s money. When Stroger uses the word ‘explosive’ it moves it from a personal indiscretion to a public indiscretion.”

Suffredin said he fears “There are some real issues involving the credit cards that Dunnings may have used. … We have no transparency. We have this bizarre activity at 1:30 in the morning on Friday Todd Stroger calls the Chicago tribune City Desk to announce he has requested and received the resignation of the Chief Financial officer, who happens to be his cousin. The CFO of a government that is the 19th largest government in the United States.”

Clearly Stroger was being vindictive trying to punish the Chicago Sun-Times which was digging into the Dunnings scandal and was preparing to break details on Dunning’s relationship with Cole.

Suffredin pointed out that after announcing it in the middle of the night, and then 15 hours later informing members of the county board, he departed for a personal vacation.

“I am speaking with board members. We do have provisions for special meetings. Our next meeting is May 5th,” Suffredin said, noting the county lacks re-call provisions.

Suffredin said the bond rating companies will probably downgrade the county’s bonds increasing interest rates on the county’s massive outstanding debts, which would increase the need for more taxes.

“The citizens need to be outraged over his lack of candor on this and his refusal to answer questions,” Suffredin said.

Suffredin said there are two separate individuals involving employees who were in trouble, including Cole, who Dunnings has helped and may have used the power of her office.

Suffredin said Stroger has refused to be accountable, refused to answer questions and refuses to properly lead the county.

No one in Stroger’s office would return repeated phone calls for a comment Monday.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

County to consider full roll-back of Stroger Tax at next board meeting

Fearing a real backlash from over-taxed residents in Cook County, Board President Todd Stroger proposed rolling back only a modest .25 percent of the 1 percent he added last year to the county's sales tax. The Stroger Tax raised the county portion of the sales tax from .75 percent to 1.75 percent, which in turn increased the burden on taxpayers already strapped by state and local sales tax hikes. That proposal was swiftly sent to committee during this morning’s Cook County Board meeting. But tonight, a coalition of Republicans and progressive Democrats are weighing a new plan to roll-back the entire Stroger Tax not just by one .25 percent increment, but by four .25 percent increments in each of the next four years beginning this year until the entire “Stroger Tax” is repealed. 

Leading the charge is 17th District Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman, who has the backing of several commissioners whose ears have been ringing with voter opposition to the Stroger Tax. Stroger can count on his City Machine minions to defend the tax, but there might be nine of the 17 commissioners who like Gorman have the courage to stand up to Stroger’s waste-filled rule. “We plan to introduce the proposal to the next board meeting,” Gorman said Wednesday night. “I just got off the phone with several commissioners and the proposal has a lot of support.” That puts emphasis on the comment from her anticipated county board rival, Pat Maher, that “there is more to just voting no” at board meetings. Gorman actually has not just voted “No,” she puts meaning behind the word voting “no” to unnecessary tax hikes that Stroger has forced upon the over-taxed residents of Cook County. Gorman questioned the need for the millions that the Stroger tax will reap from over-taxed county residents, and challenged Stroger’s claim that the county can use the $100 million in stimulus money to pay county operating costs. “That stimulus money should go to stimulate the economy and not to cover his expenses,” Gorman said. “We can’t put that in operating expenses. It’s supposed to go for new project to help create jobs and strengthen the economy.” Gorman is right on when she argues that the money shouldn’t go into Stroger’s back pocket to pay for his city Machine patronage army, cronies and consultants. The next board meeting is on May 5th. In the meantime, voters can help make this work by contacting their local county board commissioners and telling them to follow Gorman’s lead. -- Ray Hanania http://www.radiochicagoland.com/

Orland not out of the woods on contested elections: Patrick Maher to run for County Commissioner

Pat Maher is the president of the Orland Fire Protection District. Under his tenure, the district has tightened up its finances, although there has been some controversy. But Maher has huge support from not only his father, David Maher, who is the Orland Park Village Clerk, but also from the growing Democratic organization that gave Mayor Dan McLaughlin and his father's slate an overwhelming victory this past Tuesday (April 7).

The rumors have been around for months that Patrick Maher was planning to run for higher office, and the one most discussed is the office of Cook County Commissioner in the 17th District, which is now held by County Board Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman. Gorman was elected commission in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006 with an overwhelming voter support. Click to read Gorman's bio?

(If you visit www.RadioChicagoland.com you can hear a brief interview with Gorman that we did this past week, and also the audio of the fight the Todd Stroger taxes forum March 30 we organized in Orland Park that Commissioner Gorman attended and participated in as panel member.)

This week, Maher has confirmed that he is strongly leaning towards running for commissioner challenging Gorman in the November 2010 elections, telling me he is "75 percent sure" he will run.

But, it's not official. Maher will have a fundraiser on May 15th where he is planning to make a formal announcement on his decision. Click here to read Maher's bio.

This is going to be a tough race. But, Commissioner Gorman will not be an easy incumbent to unseat. She has a strong organization and a strong record. That campaign is going to start fast. Stay tuned for more details.

Asked about the reports, Gorman said she was aware of Maher's intentions, smartly responding, “The Chicago Tribune hailed me for being one of the hardest working Commissioners in Cook County and being on the right side of the issues, standing up to Stroger and his tax increases. I look forward to a positive campaign and welcome Pat to the race. This gives me the opportunity to work even harder for the expansive district that I have the privilege of representing.”

The 17th District is huge also encompasses O'Hare International Airport. It is 47 miles in length and 17 miles at its widest point and encompasses mainly the Republican suburbs. Gorman is a Republican. Maher is a Democrat.

(We spoke with Pat Maher this morning on "Mornings with Ray Hanania" about his possible candidacy and the interview audio will be podcast also on the web site at:
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/.)

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/

Palatine Mayor coming to Orland to talk about fighting rising county property taxes

Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins, who has been leading a high profile campaign to fight the repressive taxes by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, including discussions on possibly seceding from the county into neighboring counties, will be a guest speaker at a forum to be hosted soon in Orland Park by Radio Chicagoland (www.RadioChicagoland.com).

I just have to find a location to host the event, and will not only invite the public but also all of the candidates running for local office to stop in, say a few words, etc. I am hoping to find a location BEFORE the April 7 election.

Seceding from the county is a viable strategy to pressure Stroger and the worthless Cook County Board, to do something. Although it is tough to secede, the discussion alone has been picking up steam throughout the townships bordering Will and DuPage County.

Taxes in Cook County are oppressive, from Palatine through Orland Park and beyond. No community is exempt from the taxationw ithout representation.

We'll even invite County Board Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman, the controversy-plagued Republican county board member to speak, if she dares. She hasn't been very representative of the district and we hope she steps up to the plate.

If you have suggestions on a location for the Radio Chicagoland forum, please email me at rayhanania@comcast.net.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Who voted how in screwing the taxpayers by refusing to repeal the Sales Tax

Breakdown of who screwed the public at Tuesday's Cook County Board meeting:

Voting For Sales Tax Reduction (Yeaaaaa1)
Forrest Claypool (D-12th)
Mike Quigley (D-10th)
Tony Peraica (R-16th)
Liz Doody-Gorman (R-17th)
Peter Silvestri(R-9th)
Gregg Goslin, (R-14th)
Tim Schneider (R-15th)

Voting to Maintain Sales Tax Hike (Boooooo!)
Earlean Collins, (D-1st)
Robert Steele, (D-2nd)
Jerry Butler, (D-3rd)
Bill Beavers, (D-4th)
Deborah Sims, (D-5th)
Joan Murphy, (D-6th)
Joe Moreno, (D-7th)
Roberto Maldonado, (D-8th)
John Daley, (D-11th)
Larry Suffredin, (D-13th)

At least for Orland Park residents, Gorman came through.

The worst part is not one of the Sales Tax proponents protested President Todd Stroger's insult to them when he refused to allow the rperesentatives for the people speak out against the sales tax. Stroger arrogantly appeared before reporters after boasting he's been doing a great job.

Yes, a great job at screwing the public, Todd!

Ray Hanania
www.OrlandParker.com

Hypocrisies abound on Cook County Board to silence Peraica's fight against the sales tax hike

You can listen to my podcast with Cook County Board Commissioner Anthony Tony Peraica on my audio podcast web page at www.TheMediaOasis.com/pointtopoint.htm. Peraica calls out Board President Todd Stroger who cut public discussion ont he oppressive sales tax he authored, which gives the City of Chicago the dubious honor of having the highest sales tax in the nation, 10.25 percent, and his colleagues for hypocrisy including Commissioners Larry Suffredin and Debra Sims, who said it's not the tax chasing people to buy in other counties, but public discussion about that tax that is pushing other counties to keep their taxes low to attract Cook County residents. (Commissioner Suffredin is dead wrong on this issue, although he has taken the appropriate pro-taxpayer stand on other issues. We agree with Peraica's assessment that Suffredin is being a hypocrite on the sales tax issues. Here is how one of Suffredin's supporters defended Suffredin's vote in favor of the sales tax increase, from the commissioner's web page.)

Also go to http://www.swnewsherald.com/ to read my column on the topic.

AND, view Ray Hanania's World comic strip on the fli-flopping at the Cook County Board on the Todd Stroger oppressive Sales Tax increase. Go there?

Ray Hanania
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/