Race, Politics, Tax Increases, Daley, Blago and John Stroger
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t think your critics are racially motivated?
Cook County Board President Stroger: No, I don’t think it is totally racial. I think it is—
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Berkowitz: Chairman John Daley, the brother of Mayor Daley, you’d take him on, as well.
Stroger: If he is the candidate and I decide to run, and he wants to oppose me—remember, I am the incumbent and I have a very good record, not only here but….
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Tonight’s City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” features Cook County Board President John Stroger. The show airs at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …You are saying that your critics are being racially motivated. Are you making that allegation?
Cook County Board President Stroger: No, I never made that allegation. My statement was that there are people confronting me telling me that some of the people who are my opponents are racially motivated by some of their questions [and] comments in the light of the fact that the Governor of the state, Mr. Blagojevich had a great deficit and had to borrow money to solve it and that the Mayor of the City of Chicago had to go out and increase every fee you could think of to come up with 83 million dollars to close a gap in his budget and they said that to me.
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Berkowitz: You don’t think your critics are racially motivated?
Stroger: No, I don’t think it is totally racial. I think it is—
Berkowitz: Do you think it is at all racial?
Stroger: I think it is more political. I think we got people who are ambitious and who want to try to go ahead. I don’t want to talk about it. You named about four or five guys—
Berkowitz: So you think [Commissioners] Quigley, Suffredin and Claypool are politically motivated?
Stroger: I think a lot of the things they do are politically motivated and I have told that to them…
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Berkowitz: What about…Clerk of the County Courts, Dorothy Brown…if she were running, would you still run [for re-election as County Board President]?
Stroger: I think I am the President of the County Board. She would have to determine whether she wants to challenge me and that would be the same for any of the others.
Berkowitz: So, Dorothy Brown is somebody who might run. Assessor-
Stroger: Houlihan.
Berkowitz: Treasurer Pappas
Stroger: Sheriff Sheehan.
Berkowitz: Sheriff Sheehan.
Stroger: But, if I decide to run, I will take them on as I have done, my previous opponents.
Berkowitz: Chairman John Daley, the brother of Mayor Daley, you’d take him on, as well.
Stroger: If he is the candidate and I decide to run, and he wants to oppose me—remember, I am the incumbent and I have a very good record, not only here but….
***********************************
Cook County Board President John Stroger, interviewed on "Public Affairs," as it is being cablecast throughout the City of Chicago tonight, Feb. 14 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV]. This show was recorded on January 27, 2005, in the office of Cook County Board President John Stroger.
************************************
Tonight, on the City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” County Board President John Stroger debates and discusses with show host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz Cook County Board President Stroger's proposed increase in the restaurant, hotel and motel taxes; race and politics; alternative ways to balance the budget by cutting spending across the board, by increasing employee health insurance premiums, by cutting budgeted contingent fees and by budgeting a higher vacancy rate for Cook County employment positions; the Gang of 4 [Cook County Commissioners Quigley, Claypool, Suffredin and Peraica], the Gang of 8 [Gang of 4 plus Cook County Commissioners Goslin, Gorman, Hansen and Silvestri], the fire at 69 West Washington, demolition of the old County Hospital, global searches by the County for consulting firms and President Stroger’s plans as to whether he will seek re-election as County Board President.
********************************************
Additional partial transcripts of our show with President Stroger are included at the February 8, 1:45 pm and January 31, 2005, 12:30 am blog entries, below.
**********************************************
The City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” is cablecast throughout the City of Chicago every Monday night at 8:30 p.m. on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
*******************************
Cook County Board President Stroger: No, I don’t think it is totally racial. I think it is—
********************************
Berkowitz: Chairman John Daley, the brother of Mayor Daley, you’d take him on, as well.
Stroger: If he is the candidate and I decide to run, and he wants to oppose me—remember, I am the incumbent and I have a very good record, not only here but….
********************************
Tonight’s City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” features Cook County Board President John Stroger. The show airs at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …You are saying that your critics are being racially motivated. Are you making that allegation?
Cook County Board President Stroger: No, I never made that allegation. My statement was that there are people confronting me telling me that some of the people who are my opponents are racially motivated by some of their questions [and] comments in the light of the fact that the Governor of the state, Mr. Blagojevich had a great deficit and had to borrow money to solve it and that the Mayor of the City of Chicago had to go out and increase every fee you could think of to come up with 83 million dollars to close a gap in his budget and they said that to me.
******************************
Berkowitz: You don’t think your critics are racially motivated?
Stroger: No, I don’t think it is totally racial. I think it is—
Berkowitz: Do you think it is at all racial?
Stroger: I think it is more political. I think we got people who are ambitious and who want to try to go ahead. I don’t want to talk about it. You named about four or five guys—
Berkowitz: So you think [Commissioners] Quigley, Suffredin and Claypool are politically motivated?
Stroger: I think a lot of the things they do are politically motivated and I have told that to them…
*********************************
Berkowitz: What about…Clerk of the County Courts, Dorothy Brown…if she were running, would you still run [for re-election as County Board President]?
Stroger: I think I am the President of the County Board. She would have to determine whether she wants to challenge me and that would be the same for any of the others.
Berkowitz: So, Dorothy Brown is somebody who might run. Assessor-
Stroger: Houlihan.
Berkowitz: Treasurer Pappas
Stroger: Sheriff Sheehan.
Berkowitz: Sheriff Sheehan.
Stroger: But, if I decide to run, I will take them on as I have done, my previous opponents.
Berkowitz: Chairman John Daley, the brother of Mayor Daley, you’d take him on, as well.
Stroger: If he is the candidate and I decide to run, and he wants to oppose me—remember, I am the incumbent and I have a very good record, not only here but….
***********************************
Cook County Board President John Stroger, interviewed on "Public Affairs," as it is being cablecast throughout the City of Chicago tonight, Feb. 14 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV]. This show was recorded on January 27, 2005, in the office of Cook County Board President John Stroger.
************************************
Tonight, on the City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” County Board President John Stroger debates and discusses with show host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz Cook County Board President Stroger's proposed increase in the restaurant, hotel and motel taxes; race and politics; alternative ways to balance the budget by cutting spending across the board, by increasing employee health insurance premiums, by cutting budgeted contingent fees and by budgeting a higher vacancy rate for Cook County employment positions; the Gang of 4 [Cook County Commissioners Quigley, Claypool, Suffredin and Peraica], the Gang of 8 [Gang of 4 plus Cook County Commissioners Goslin, Gorman, Hansen and Silvestri], the fire at 69 West Washington, demolition of the old County Hospital, global searches by the County for consulting firms and President Stroger’s plans as to whether he will seek re-election as County Board President.
********************************************
Additional partial transcripts of our show with President Stroger are included at the February 8, 1:45 pm and January 31, 2005, 12:30 am blog entries, below.
**********************************************
The City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” is cablecast throughout the City of Chicago every Monday night at 8:30 p.m. on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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