Patronage thriving, county told

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Chicago Tribune
By Hal Dardick, TRIBUNE REPORTER
Tribune reporter Gary Washburn contributed to this report
March 4, 2008

Findings released just hours before tax hike's OK

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's administration has not done enough to prevent illegal political hiring, according to a new report from a federal court monitor that suggests patronage is alive and well in county government.

The report was filed Friday, hours before Stroger won approval of more than $400 million in new taxes, in part to make more than 1,000 new hires this year.

Retired Cook County Circuit Judge Julia Nowicki documented a history of clout in hiring and noted "there is no information or event that has been presented ... that would indicate that illegal political patronage has been eliminated."

In fact, the failure of county hiring officials to use consistent job descriptions, check references and test job skills creates the opportunity for violations of the federal court decree that bans hiring, firing and promotions based on political connections, according to the report.

It was the third and most detailed report issued by Nowicki since she was appointed to review the county's compliance with the civil court order, following the 2006 disclosure of a federal criminal investigation into hiring at many county agencies.

"This report confirms what many of us have said for years -- that county government is a patronage dumping ground and run for the benefit of political workers and politicians instead of taxpayers," said Commissioner Forrest Claypool, a Stroger critic. "We've seen another unnecessary half-billion-dollar tax increase to pay for the perpetuation of this system."

But attorney Laura Lechowicz Felicione, special counsel to Stroger, said the administration has taken steps to root out and prevent illegal hiring and is cooperating with Nowicki's investigation.

"We feel very confident that our employees are not engaging in unlawful discrimination practices," Felicione said. "We feel very confident that people are following the rules and regulations."

Nowicki's 54-page report highlighted the progress of her ongoing investigation into more than 220 claims filed by people who said they lost out on jobs, promotions or were otherwise hurt by political favoritism. In some cases, investigators were hampered because they were told documents had been destroyed, or had been seized in the federal criminal investigation.

One allegation outlines the quick career trajectory of an employee who dubbed himself a "Soldier for Stroger" and sold political paraphernalia -- including T-shirts, caps and jackets with political emblems -- from his office. A job was created for him after he failed to meet minimum qualifications for other posts, and he was promoted five times in three years, according to the allegations documented by Nowicki's investigation.

In another case, a person complained of being snubbed for a Bureau of Health job that instead went to a woman with political connections who did not submit her application until 16 days after her hiring was approved.

The report also cited workers who said they felt pressure to perform political work in exchange for job advancement and sometimes were pressured to make political campaign donations. Patronage workers, on the other hand, got promotions over more qualified candidates, made more money and were insulated from discipline, according to claims cited by the report.

County hiring officials revised job qualifications to suit politically connected applicants, allegedly posted job openings in some cases for mere hours to give insiders an advantage and failed to check the claims made by job candidates, the report said. The lack of such hiring safeguards continues today, the report said.

"Except in the case of requiring documentation regarding college and high school credentials and licenses, no action is taken to verify whether information on the applications is accurate; previous employers are not contacted, addresses are not verified," the report stated.

A month after the FBI in 2006 descended on county offices, the County Board codified a ban on political hiring and agreed to the court order installing Nowicki to oversee reforms in county hiring practices. The order allows the county in December to seek an end to a 1994 consent judgment -- the Shakman Decree -- that bans political consideration in most of the county's more than 23,000 jobs.

Felicione, Stroger's lawyer, said Nowicki was investigating allegations of events that took place during a 2 1/2 -year period ending in February 2007, just two months after Stroger was sworn in. Before that, Bobbie Steele briefly served as president after the late John Stroger, the current president's father, suffered a debilitating stroke.

Todd Stroger, Felicione said, has made it clear he will not tolerate illegal political hiring and has encouraged employees to file complaints with the county's inspector general. None have been filed, she added.

A key recommendation in Nowicki's report is that the county hire a new human resources chief who "has the experience, education and political autonomy to professionalize" hiring. Nowicki asked that she be appointed to the committee that will help select the chief -- a request the county has deemed a conflict of interest.

An offer has been extended to Nowicki to make a presentation to the committee, Stroger aides said. More than 60 resumes were received for the post after it was advertised nationally, they said.