Democratic Metropolitan Water Reclamation District candidate Todd Connor filed his nominating petitions on Monday with a whopping 22,000 signatures--a move that will undoubtedly grab the attention Cook County political insiders.
Candidates for this under-the-radar office need 7,981 signatures--more than required for a gubernatorial candidacy.
Connor, 31, a Progressive Democrat and first-time candidate, was unable to secure official backing from the Cook County Democrat Party regulars but pulled-off an impressive party-like petition drive that will put the slated candidates on notice.
“This grass roots effort highlights the hardworking, energized nature of my campaign. We are educating voters and talking about new ideas ... ," said Connor, a former Navy officer and Illinois Inspector General.
The Cook County Democrats slated incumbent commissioners Barbara McGowan and Mariyana Spyropoulos and newcomer Michael Alvarez.
Backing Connor is an impressive list of progressive politicians: Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (D-4th), U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), State Senator Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest), State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago), Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer (D-Chicago) State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), Alderman Tom Tunney (D-44th), former State Senator Carol Ronen (D-Chicago), State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston), Northfield Township Committeeman Mike Kreloff, Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D-Chicago).
In an e-mail to supporters and friends, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin announced that he is seeking re-election. This was preceded by petitions circulating yesterday in Evanston. This rules out a run by Larry for either Cook County Board President or for Assessor, one of which seemed likely after public appearances and statements by Larry recently.
From Suffredin's e-mail:
I am committed to working to get new leadership in the Office of President of the Cook County Board. I will dedicate my efforts to insuring that the reform agenda that I worked on with Congressman Mike Quigley and Commissioner Forrest Claypool is the agenda of the next President. This reform agenda of both accountability and transparency is the only way to reduce taxes.
First, my efforts will go to overturning President Todd Stroger’s third veto of a repeal of the County sales tax at the Board meeting on September 1, 2009. The County is in a strong financial position and can afford to grant this tax relief. The $283 million crisis that the County faced in February, 2008, when the tax was enacted, has passed. The key to solving this crisis was the establishment of an Independent Health and Hospital Board which I proposed and which has brought -- for the first time-- professional management to the Health and Hospital System which spends nearly $1 billion and treats almost 1 million people annually.
I would say that I am surprised, except that so many surprises have happened in the last 9 months in Illinois, little is surprising any more. There were significant obstacles to a race for either Board President -- where the field is already crowded and many progressives have coalesced behind Toni Preckwinkle -- and Assessor (where the well-funded county party chairman Joe Berrios is the presumptive organization candidate at this date). However, Suffredin would have been a strong candidate.
In a season where "stay put" is the option many are opting for, this move by my Commissioner (Larry holds the seat I ran for in '94) could be see as a proverbial "smart play. It's also important for the Board to have some continuity, with both Claypool and Quigley gone come 2011. Because Larry had built up a countywide fundraising base and name recognition, undoubtedly this was a difficult decision, and one in which personal and family considerations weighed as well.
It has been the most difficult decision of my life, but I have decided not to be a candidate again for Cook County board president. Nor will I be a candidate for a third term on the board.
My June 30 fundraiser at Hop Haus, my first since the 2006 primary, is cancelled and I will be returning all checks (or in the case of credit cards, ensuring there is no debit to your account).
I am so grateful to you for your support, your encouragement and your friendship during the last two campaigns and my nearly seven years of service. It means so much to me, and made the decision so much harder.
In January, I joined my longtime friend, Care Pages founder Eric Langshur, in founding a new company, Rise Health. In the ensuing six months we have developed a mixture of services and technology which we believe can improve access, lower costs and improve quality in health care.
President Obama is poised to finally pass national health care reform. But to achieve the goal of universal access, quality and affordability, it will take both government reform and private sector innovation. I have come to believe so much in the potential of our ideas that I have chosen to remain in my role as chief operating officer, and begin a new and challenging journey to help improve our national health care system.
Many of you know that I first ran for the board presidency largely because of the dysfunction in the Health Bureau, which not only robbed taxpayers but effectively rationed care to the neediest and most vulnerable in our society. I wrote a detailed plan to improve access to preventive and primary care and restructure the system.
Because of the administration's gross incompetence and neglect, the Health Bureau is now under the jurisdiction of an independent board. The independent board recently hired a CEO, who is beginning to make systemic changes. The jury is out, but we all hope for its success.
I hope that all of you who supported me will stay involved, and support candidates willing to challenge the old ways.
Thank you again for having given me the opportunity to serve. I will be eternally grateful.
The twist, for those of us up north here, is that Larry Suffredin is now forming an exploratory committee for Cook County Board prez. And because of the new law change, you can't run for prez and commish. So if Larry runs, the 13th is an open seat. As will be, now, Forrest's slot.
I will vote for Tommy Brewer and recommend others vote for Brewer. I find Brewer to be independent, qualified and the one candidate I trust to address police abuses.
Let me start by discussing the Cook County State's Attorney and the other five candidates.
Corruption and police misconduct are problems in Cook County. The patterns are somewhat different in Chicago and the suburbs. In the suburbs there are numerous small taxing bodies for corrupt politicians to rip-off. School districts seem to be a particularly popular target because they have larger budgets than park districts and libraries.
Note: I have posted something similar at www.blogforamerica.com.
"Start planning now for 2010" was the message of Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin at our Thursday, June 7th, Edgewater/Rogers Park DFA meeting (http://www.dfalink.c...). That is when Board President Todd Stroger, and all 17 commissioners, will be up for re-election, and when we can try again to bring some reform to Cook County government. To the disappointment of many in the room, Comm. Suffredin stated that there is no legal way to remove Todd Stroger from office until that election. The Cook County Board does not operate under a parliamentary system, so votes of "no confidence" are meaningless, and there is no provision here for impeachment or for recall elections. In other words, we are stuck with Todd's less-than-adequate leadership until 2010.
And though 2010 seems like a long time away, it really isn't. A February primary means that the majority of the campaign will happen in 2009, which means candidates will start fundraising and forming their committees as early as fall of 2008,which is just a little over a year away.
Below is a more detailed write-up of Comm. Suffredin's comments, which were excellent and really eye opening. My message to folks who live in Cook County who have non-reform commissioners: start organizing and start recruiting candidates now.
