Politics

Stroger Defends Cousin's Raise, Calls Media Unfair

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Cook County Board President Todd Stroger took heat last year for appointing his cousin, Donna Dunnings, the county's highly paid chief financial officer. Now he's deflecting more criticism for Dunnings' 12 percent pay raise.

CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports Dunnings' salary is now at nearly $160,000, and Stroger in a one-on-one interview Wednesday provided the frankest explanation yet for the raise.

In the shark pool of local politics, Stroger told CBS 2, he needs someone he can trust.

"I know she's gonna protect me," Stroger said. "So many try to stab in the back – she will see it coming."

In addition to foes on the Cook County Board, Stroger sees one other big obstacle to his re-election plans. He says news reporters treat him like a political punching bag and don't apologize even when they get stories wrong, including a gossip columnist who reported that Dunnings had county workers assembling an exercise treadmill in her government office.

"She called. She said, 'I have receipt here from Sears for $119,'" Stroger said. The newspaper did not run a correction.

To judge from the reaction on cbs2chicago.com, though, many voters have already made up their minds. They are furious about the half-billion dollar sales tax increase the County Board approved last month, and at plans to hire 1,100 new county workers.

While some demand his impeachment, Stroger says he hears other voices.

"It's a perception that something is wrong with the administration," he said. "I like to go to Jewels. And I like to go to Target. People stop me there. And, actually, I get a lot of, 'Boy, they're really trying to beat you up,' and 'hang in there.'"

Still, the truth in politics here is that Stroger's in big trouble with lots of voters. And there could be more truth in politics if more federal corruption indictments come soon, though Stroger says the alleged wrongdoing predates administration.

He could begin bouncing back, first, by appointing an aggressive, anti-corruption Inspector General, a job that remains vacant. And, second, make the new county hospitals' governing commission work. Half that new sales tax might be wiped out if the county collected a quarter-billion dollars a year from private insurance companies and Medicaid that now doesn't even get billed.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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