Cook County Politics

Stroger Tells Peraica 'You Don't Know When To Shut Up' (WATCH)

Huffington Post | Posted 11.18.2009 | Chicago


Things got a little testy at the Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday. First, Commissioner Tony Peraica tried to make the point that pe...

Third Time's A Charm For County Sales Tax Rollback?

Chicago Public Radio | Tony Arnold | Posted 11.16.2009 | Chicago


Cook County commissioners may once again try to cut the sales tax this week....

Who Should Claypool Voters Choose? Probably Preckwinkle

Paras Bhayani | Posted 10.13.2009 | Chicago


Paras Bhayani

The voters who would have backed Claypool, many of whom live on the North Side and in suburban Cook County, might well be the swing votes in this election.

Video Gambling Ban Passes Cook County Board

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 10.06.2009 | Chicago


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 Q...

Shining Light On County Lobbyists

Huffington Post | Tim Taliaferro | Posted 10.01.2009 | Chicago


UPDATE: The Lobbyist Sunshine Initiative passed the finance committee unanimously on Thursday. It goes to a full vote at the Board's Oct. 6 meeting. ...

Shedding Sunshine on Cook County Lobbyists

David Orr | Posted 11.21.2009 | Chicago


David Orr

There is no reason why we cannot bring our lobbyist records into the 21st Century. We can and should do more to connect the dots between million dollar contracts and lobbyists who stand to profit from their approval.

How Judges Become Judges In Cook County

Chicago Sun-Times | Abdon M. Pallasch | Posted 11.20.2009 | Chicago


"Mysterious forces" hover in the air in this Hotel Allegro conference room as Cook County's Democratic ward and township committeemen carve up "The Be...

Byron Steele: Stroger Had Me Fired As Political Payback

Chicago Sun-Times | CAROL MARIN AND LISA DONOVAN | Posted 11.14.2009 | Chicago


At 9 o'clock Monday morning, Byron Steele, First Deputy Director of Cook County's Department of Facilities Management was called downtown and given th...

Sunlight Proposed For County Lobbyists And Politicians

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 11.14.2009 | Chicago


Cook County lobbyists would have to disclose new clients within two days of landing them under new ethics rules proposed Monday by county Clerk David ...

Stroger Blames Zell, Bad Data For Low Poll Numbers

Huffington Post | Tim Taliaferro | Posted 11.10.2009 | Chicago


Cook County Board President Todd Stroger downplayed his dismal approval rating in a Tribune/WGN poll Thursday and alleged that the low numbers were pa...

Todd Stroger's Approval Rating At 10 Percent: Tribune Poll

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 11.10.2009 | Chicago


Battered for championing Cook County's sales tax increase and for hiring friends and relatives, Board President Todd Stroger heads into the election s...

County Sales Tax Hike Stays As Board Again Fails To Block Veto

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 10.17.2009 | Chicago


Cook County commissioners today couldn't make their roll back of the county's controversial sales tax stick, failing by one vote to override Board Pre...

John Fritchey Plans Run For Claypool's Cook County Board Seat

Huffington Post | Tim Taliaferro | Posted 10.17.2009 | Chicago


State Rep. John Fritchey announced Tuesday he intends to give up his seat in the state legislature to run to replace retiring Commissioner Forrest Cla...

State Trooper Appointed Cook County Commissioner

Chicago Sun-Times | ABDON M. PALLASCH | Posted 10.16.2009 | Chicago


Democratic committeemen on Chicago's Northwest Side voted for Edwin Reyes, 46, a state trooper, to replace Roberto Maldonado on the county board....

The Story Behind Todd Stroger's Rise To Power

Chicago Magazine | David Bernstein | Posted 09.24.2009 | Chicago


Todd Stroger's reign as county board president has been marred by chaos, scandal, and deeply unpopular decisions. Here's the story behind the maneuver...

Suffredin Not Running For Cook County Board President

Chicago Tribune | Posted 09.17.2009 | Chicago


One potential Democratic primary candidate in an already large field for the post of Cook County Board president announced today he won't make the lea...

County Contractors Pouring Money Into Todd Stroger's Reelection Campaign

Daily Herald | Robert McCoppin | Posted 08.27.2009 | Chicago


Politically connected Cook County contractors chosen over lower bidders continue to cash in as their projects expand - and continue to contribute to C...

Terrence O'Brien, Water District Chief, Running For County Board President

Chicago Public Radio | Posted 08.23.2009 | Chicago


The head of an agency that handles wastewater in Cook County is running for county board president....

Cook County Pot Decriminalization Vote Likely To Be Vetoed By Stroger

Chicago Tribune | Posted 08.22.2009 | Chicago


Cook County Board President Todd Stroger indicated this morning that he may veto legislation passed Tuesday by the County Board to decriminalize carry...

Assessor James Houlihan Not Running For Cook County Board President

Chicago Sun-Times | Abdon M. Pallasch | Posted 08.09.2009 | Chicago


Cook County Assessor James Houlihan said Thursday he will not be a candidate for Cook County Board President....

Over $11M In Cook County Contracts Went To Political Donors

Daily Herald | Rob Olmstead | Posted 08.06.2009 | Chicago


A joint investigation by the Daily Herald and the Better Government Association has found that the companies that received the 11 contracts worth $11....

Dorothy Brown Enters Race For Cook County Board President

Huffington Post | Tim Taliaferro | Posted 07.27.2009 | Chicago


The race for the Cook County Board Presidency just got a little more crowded. Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown announced Friday that she...

Dorothy Brown Stops Accepting Money From County Employees

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 07.06.2009 | Chicago


Dorothy Brown's campaign literature says she puts "professionalism over politics," but the veteran Cook County Circuit Court clerk has long accepted a...

Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown Mulls Stroger Challenge

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 06.26.2009 | Chicago


Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown today criticized County Board President Todd Stroger's leadership and said she is mulling a run for his office next ...

Stroger Vetoes Sales Tax Repeal, Again

Chicago Tribune | Hal Dardick | Posted 06.22.2009 | Chicago


As he previously promised, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger today vetoed the latest attempt by commissioners to rollback last year's sales tax...