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If Stroger won't lead ...Chicago TribuneOctober 2, 2007EditorialAllies of Todd Stroger had just deferred action on a 2-percentage-point sales tax hike because they didn't have enough votes to pass it. Undeterred, the Cook County Board president spoke with reporters about why he supports such a massive tax grab for 2008 when he hasn't even bothered to say how he'd spend the money. As his press secretary tried to whoosh him away, one final question got through to Stroger: When will you convene your promised summit of civic and business leaders to streamline this government? "I will do that," Stroger said, muttering something about getting his chief of staff on the case. I-will-do-that. How many more times will we hear meaningless, future-tense promises from Todd Stroger? How many more times will he pretend that anyone trusts him to downsize this grossly overstaffed government? Consider: *When he ran for office last year, Stroger said he'd cut the county payroll to 22,000. One year later, the head count is 24,600. *Also in 2006, Stroger said he couldn't sign a no-tax-increase pledge because some extraordinary emergency might force him to renege. One year later, Stroger is pushing a sales tax proposal that would raise $750 million. His allies are pushing other ideas that would raise perhaps another $250 million -- enough to grow their $3 billion government by one-third. Emergency? What emergency is that? *Before the County Board adopted its 2007 budget in February, Stroger promised that his summiteers would reorganize the government. Give him points for consistency: One budget cycle later, Stroger can make the same promise -- because he's done so little to economize. Eight or nine County Board members oppose giving one more penny of revenue to Stroger and his cronies. Many of those board members have solid proposals for improved services at lower costs. But these board members have been mouthing their good ideas for so long that they can come across to the public like dispirited penny-pinchers at a convention of Spendaholics Unanimous. So here's a modest proposal for the County Board foes of patronage bloat and higher taxes: You be the leaders. Instruct your chiefs of staff to brainstorm for an hour, an afternoon, a day, whatever. Ask them to write a positive agenda, perhaps 10 Ways to Prevent a Tax Increase. Ten ways? You could name a hundred. Trouble is, you usually do. Instead, give citizens a crisp, clear, understandable list of ways to reform Cook County. If only public pressure will keep Stroger from raising taxes, give the public your alternatives. A few possible ingredients: *Consolidate offices and services identified in board member Michael Quigley's excellent reports, "Reinventing Cook County." *Commissioner Gregg Goslin proposes transferring control of the moribund Bureau of Health to a governing board of health professionals. The goal: to have public hospitals run as efficiently as private medical centers do. *Privatization of Bureau of Health billing and collections. Miserable performance in this realm is the biggest contributor to the county's revenue shortfall. So fire Cook County. *End Stroger's foot-dragging on the sale of 100 or more surplus acres at Oak Forest Hospital. That could yield tens of millions of dollars. In short, show us how to circumvent Stroger.
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