Cook County Forest Preserve budget versus executive raises

 

Here is a handy rule of thumb for troubled economic times: when you are in a deflationary spiral (where wages and the cost of some goods and services actually fall in a self-perpetuating cycle) only the most powerful members of society will take home more money this year than they did last year.  Most Americans today count themselves lucky if they have a secure job.  Many of us are losing ground financially as our wages either stagnate or actually go down.  So, if you are among the fortunate few getting a hefty pay raise this year, prepare to have lots of people nosing around, asking what makes you so special.

If you live and pay taxes in Cook County, Illinois, you should know that the appointed pooh-bahs of the County Forest Preserve all received large pay raises this year, as they have for each of the last two years.  That should raise more than a few eyebrows.  Now let's consider who hired these folks and has set their pay at such generous levels.  The boss of the Cook County Forest Preserve is County Board President, Todd Stroger. 

You may recall that in 2008 President Stroger moved Cook County into the number one position in the country in terms of our sales tax rate.  Property owners have also been slammed by huge increases in valuations and tax assessments at precisely the moment when the bottom dropped out of the national and local economy.  County residents are paying outrageously high taxes.  Our elected Board and President Stroger say County government has slashed expenses to the bone.  But executives of the Forest Preserve have seen their pay rise by an average of 15% since 2006?  Something does not add up.

The missing piece in the puzzle is campaign contributions.  These Forest Preserve executives-the folks who owe their jobs to President Stroger-are among his most generous campaign contributors.  But wait, long-time Chicagoans may ask, isn't this illegal?  Weren't the Shakman Decrees meant to end this self-serving patronage system, in which a politician hires his supporters, who kick back part of their pay to keep the politician in office?  The answer to that is, yes, but these jobs are exempt from the Shakman oversight system.  So these appointees are free to give as generously as any resident who does not depend on President Stroger to put food on their table.  Isn't democracy wonderful?