Todd Stroger: Mom wants Dad out
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Chicago Sun-Times
By Fran Spielman, City Hall Reporter
May 10, 2006
Yonnie Stroger will have a lot to say about whether her husband
remains on the Democratic ticket after suffering a serious stroke
-- and she has her mind made up: She wants Cook County Board
President John Stroger to retire.
That's according to her son, Ald. Todd Stroger (8th), the front-runner
to replace his father. He described his mom as "the caretaker"
and said she has "more pull than she had before,"
when John Stroger reportedly overruled his wife and decided
to seek another term.
This time, Yonnie Stroger is likely to prevail over her determined
husband. And she is pushing hard for retirement, the alderman
said.
"She thinks he's served his time well. He's done a lot
of things and that it's probably time to rest," Todd Stroger
said Tuesday.
"Just being a good wife, she would probably think that
he's done a lot and been through a lot and his health is the
main concern. I would think that she'd want him to just get
back to 100 percent and not even worry about outside influences.
It's all health. She's just worried about his health. He's not
a young man anymore. She doesn't want to lose him to this."
'We'll pose the question to him'
As a protective husband, Todd Stroger said, he can understand
how his mother feels. If the shoe were on the other foot, he
would do the same thing.
"If I thought my spouse had been injured and needed time
to recover and had done a lot in her life, I would tell her
that I think it's time to stop," he said.
Todd Stroger has said previously that his father would decide
in July whether to remain on the Democratic ticket. But the
timetable has been moved up.
"He will be making a decision fairly soon. My plan is to
talk to my mother and the doctors and see if they think he should
be making those types of decisions. If they think it's fine,
we'll pose the question to him," Todd Stroger said.
"I'll say, 'Dad, is your interest in running for president
still there or do you want to retire and rest up?' "
John Stroger, 76, suffered what his doctors described as a "serious"
stroke the week before the March 21 primary. The condition cast
a pall over the campaign of challenger Forrest Claypool, but
seemed to galvanize party leaders in general and black elected
officials in particular around John Stroger's candidacy.
Their support carried the veteran Democratic warhorse to victory
with 53.5 percent of the Democratic primary vote.
Last week, Todd Stroger told the Chicago Sun-Times that he's
qualified to succeed his father -- and confident of victory
-- if the stroke prevents John Stroger from remaining on the
Democratic ticket.
The next day, black politicians started lining up behind the
South Side alderman as a replacement for his ailing father.
If it's OK for white politicians like Mike Madigan, Tom Hynes
and Bill Lipinski to take care of, or be succeeded by, their
children, the same standard should apply to African Americans,
they said.
On Tuesday, Todd Stroger took that argument one step further.
As a loyal Democrat, Todd Stroger said, his father supported
Lisa Madigan for attorney general and Dan Hynes for state comptroller
because he thought they were "intelligent, capable people."
And the former state representative compared his qualifications
to those of Lisa Madigan, Dan Hynes and Dan Lipinski.
"I would put my experience up against theirs at any time.
It's probably twice that of any of them," he said.
Dad back him? 'I would hope so'
Once again, Todd Stroger stressed that he and his father have
not discussed the all-important succession issue. But the alderman
said he has little doubt how his father would feel about the
idea of being replaced by his son.
"He'll think it's the nature of anyone in any business
to want to move up. He would think that I've been through a
lot of things and that this wouldn't be a bad move," he
said.
Pressed on whether his dad would think he deserved to be County
Board president, Todd Stroger said, "I would hope so after
the work that I've done and working with him, working in the
state, the city, the ward organization and, in a way, working
with the county through the state process."
