Plan for minority-owned firm scrutiny dies

Daily Herald

July 6, 2005

By Rob Olmstead

A move to place greater scrutiny on companies contracting with Cook County as minority- or women-owned firms fizzled Tuesday after county officials pledged to tighten their procedures.

Commissioner Mike Quigley, a Chicago Democrat, had proposed that an outside auditor be hired to verify the minority status of companies after numerous Chicago minority-certified contractors turned out to be white-owned fronts.

But after the county's contract compliance administrator, Betty Hancock Perry, told commissioners Tuesday she is revamping the county's verification and monitoring procedures, the commissioner who had moved the proposal forward in committee, Roberto Maldonado, another Chicago Democrat, withdrew the proposal to give Perry time to come up with an alternative.

Several minority business owners showed up to testify that Perry is doing a sufficient job. Questions were raised after officials listed in county records for minority companies were shown to be dead or retired.

Copyright 2005, Paddock Publications, Inc.

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