Northwest Indiana Discussion

How would YOU like to work for 4 months and boost your retirement check over $30k?

I just caught bits & pieces of this but the lady that took over for John Stroger for 3 months prior to the election of Stroger's son will get this really nice pension boost just for a mere 4 months time on the job.

(shaking head) I REALLY gotta get me one of them government jobs!

She flatly denies being a crook for taking this money and basically claims she's entitled.

that would be bobbie steele, mirage. every one of her 6 children has gotten their job through her. only in CROOK COUNTY where the ignorant voters far outnumber the rational.

What's behind door No. 1 for Stroger? Extra $740 million
COOK COUNTY | Gets OK to borrow funds
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September 18, 2008

BY MARK J. KONKOL Cook County Reporter mkonkol@suntimes.com
It took some backroom negotiations for Cook County President Todd Stroger to score enough votes to give his cousin, chief financial officer Donna Dunnings, blanket authority to refinance about $3 billion in existing debt and borrow an additional $740 million.

A coalition of self-described reformers led by Commissioner Forrest Claypool nearly derailed the proposal at Wednesday's County Board meeting, calling it bad fiscal management to allow the Stroger administration to borrow that much money without board approval on specifics.

» Click to enlarge image

County President Todd Stroger and his cousin, county CFO Donna Dunnings, confer before a February meeting.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)


But Stroger, whose board allies stalled debate twice to win over objectors before calling for a vote, convinced a bloc of suburban Republicans and Democrat Earlean Collins to back an amended version of the plan, which passed in a 12-4 vote.

Hammered out behind closed doors, the last-minute changes eliminated a provision that would have allowed the county to borrow money for a "working cash fund" that Claypool called a "slush fund used to push expenses into the next fiscal year." Another change was requiring board approval to hire a team of financial advisers before borrowing any money.

Dunnings will still be able to sell bonds to pay for previously approved building projects, to make a $104 million pension fund payment and to replenish the county's self-insurance fund with more than $260 million in borrowed money.

Claypool said small tweaks to the ordinance eliminated some problems, but he criticized the measure because it still gives the Stroger administration permission to "borrow money to pay ordinary operating expenses," including the pension contributions and lawsuit settlements.

"Responsible governments don't borrow money to pay the bills especially after raising taxes to record levels." Claypool said. "What Todd Stroger is saying is he's borrowing money to pay the bills even though he just raised your [sales] taxes by $420 million. He's showing extraordinary financial mismanagement and arrogance."

Stroger disagreed, saying the county needs money to cover expenses, and selling bonds to do that is nothing new.

"Cook County has conducted bond issuances but still managed to hold the line on its property tax levy for over a decade," Stroger said.