4/9/2008

Too broke to hire HR, plenty to hike his counsin's salary

From the Chicago Tribune:

Less than two months after pushing through a 1-percentage-point sales tax increase, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger said Wednesday the county doesn't have enough money to add human resources workers in the face of heat from a federally-appointed hiring monitor.

The comments came after retired Cook County Judge Julia Nowicki, who monitors county hiring as part of a court agreement, and acting Human Resources Chief Jonathan Rothstein both agreed the county does not have enough employees in the human resources department to do an adequate job.

County Commissioner Peter Silvestri (R-Elmwood Park) suggested more worker should be hired. Replied Stroger: "We don't have any money. We are broke. ... We don't have any money. The government always runs on a short leash."

What an adventure it must be to be Todd Stroger.

So, while Cook County doesn't have the funds to hire an "adequate" number of HR people, they do have plenty of cash there to give a 12% pay-hike to Todd Stroger's cousin, Cook County CFO Donna Dunnings?

Wasn't the purpose of that tax hike the last budget to solve the county's financial woes?

Ignoring completely whether there's any truth to any of the claims made here, one has to wonder if Stroger even realizes the public relations nightmares that he creates almost simply by opening his mouth. His inconsistency in message remarkably consistent.

Maybe that's why he was able to cobble together the cash to hire ANOTHER public relations firm for a excess of $1 million in County funds.

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Filed Under: Cook County Politics

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