It ends with a signature: Stroger's official resignation letter shows signs of stroke as John Daley declines to run

Daily Herald

July 6, 2006

By Rob Olmstead

On the day that Cook County Board President John Stroger officially called it quits by signing his resignation letter, finance committee chairman John Daley called his own quits - of a sort.

The brother of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said Wednesday he won't run for interim president of the Cook County Board.

"In the past couple of weeks or so it's been very divisive for the county," said John Daley.

He said he felt he could have gotten the votes to be elected to serve in John Stroger's absence following a March stroke until the next president is elected in November, but didn't think a fight was worth it.

"Unfortunately, race was being brought into the issue, and no one ever wins with that," John Daley said.

Meanwhile, Stroger's signature on a resignation letter seemed to show the debilitating effects of his stroke. And Stroger's son, Chicago Alderman Todd Stroger, said he has talked to almost all of the 80 Democratic committeemen responsible for picking a replacement president candidate for the November ballot, but he declined to say he has the votes necessary to win placement on the ballot as he tries to succeed his father.

The Daley news caught another interim president hopeful Bobbie Steele off guard.

"I really don't want this to be a fight between John Daley and I," said Steele. Daley and Steele praised each other as friends who are worthy of respect.

"Bobbie's a good friend," Daley said.

Daley said he thought his withdrawal might bring more commissioners into the race, but he's not supporting anyone. He wants out of the fight completely, he said.

Some commissioners mentioned lame duck Mount Prospect GOP Commissioner Carl Hansen's name had come up, but also noted he was a long shot.

"If Carl throws his hat in there, I will support Carl as a loyal Republican," said Commissioner Gregg Goslin of Glenview.

Hansen could not be reached for comment.

"It's not going to be a Republican," predicted Democratic Commissioner Mike Quigley of Chicago.

Even Goslin's comments seemed to acknowledge Steele was in a much better position to take the interim presidency.

"I would just say to Bobbie, 'Be careful what you wish for,' because all the financial woes are now hers," Goslin said.

The news Wednesday that Daley was pulling out of the interim president's contest came on the same day two letters allegedly signed by John Stroger were released to the public.

One, Stroger's letter to the county board resigning his presidency and commissioner roles, was actually released Friday, but it was not signed. Todd Stroger, John Stroger's son and a contender to replace his father on the ballot, said he had his father sign it Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party officials released a letter they received July 3, but that was dated June 29. In that letter, John Stroger resigned his presidency and commissioner spot on the November ballot. He also recommended his son, Todd Stroger, for the presidency, but did not suggest a replacement for his commissioner seat.

The two post-stroke signatures vary wildly, but a handwriting expert said no one should jump to the conclusion that either is a forgery.

"Don't make any judgments based on what you're seeing. I certainly wouldn't," said Ellen Schuetzner, a forensic document examiner on Chicago's Northwest side.

Schuetzner - who did not examine either signature - said before anything could be determined, it would be necessary to know whether John Stroger was in a different state during the two signatures, whether he was on medication, and to see a baseline sample of how he's been writing since his stroke in March.

"I would never touch it unless there's contemporary known documents to go with it," she said. Documents that might qualify would be medical records, if John Stroger had been able to sign them, she said.

Those have not been released by the family.

Todd Stroger said his father had signed the letter to the county Wednesday morning, and that his father was doing well at that time, unlike Friday, when he didn't ask him to sign it because he was doing poorly.

The signature is nearly illegible, a far cry from John Stroger's steady, bold signature that affixed so many county documents before his stroke.

"I nearly cried when I saw that," said Bobbie Steele.

"When I saw it, I was really appalled at whoever released this letter. Whoever released this letter obviously used poor judgment," Steele said.

When it was pointed out that if the letter hadn't been released, many might have criticized Todd Stroger for withholding information, Steele acknowledged that might be true, but said she just felt John Stroger had been used since his stroke.

"He shouldn't be put through this. He should have been taken out of this long ago. ...He does not deserve to be used like this. It didn't have to happen like this," Steele said.

"I hope that the committeemen will look at how Todd has handled the situation and determine whether he really has leadership abilities," Steele said.

Whomever is selected to replace three-term board president and 36-year commissioner John Stroger on the fall ballot will face Republican nominee Tony Peraica of Riverside.

Copyright 2006, Paddock Publications, Inc.

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