DAILY HERALD

Peraica to force Stroger issue - Rob Olmstead

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/cookstory.asp?id=196707&cc=c&tc=&t=

Fireworks are expected at the Cook County Board meeting today, where the Republican challenger to the presidency has said he will introduce a resolution calling for a hearing into whether Democratic President John Stroger is still capable of serving.

Stroger has not been seen publicly since a March stroke and is in questionable health. While his chief of staff has said he is doing well, other reports have him doing substantially worse.

Commissioner Tony Peraica, a Riverside Republican candidate for president, said he doesn’t expect a vote on his resolution, but thinks it will be sent to committee.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Mike Quigley, a Chicago Democrat sent the Cook County state’s attorney a letter requesting clarification on what statutory language means when it describes a replacement procedure for the president due to an “inability to act.”

Commissioner Gregg Goslin, a Glenview Republican, had asked for clarification of procedures for replacing the president if there was a vacancy, but did not specifically ask how it’s determined if the president has an inability to act if he does not declare it himself.

Asking his senators amnesty questions - Dale Johnson 

http://www.dailyherald.com/opinion/fencepost.asp

This is an open letter to Illinois Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin.

If low wage labor is really critical to our economy, why don’t the employers of illegal aliens provide free family health insurance and other benefits?

If wage-depressing illegal immigrants are good for our economy, Illinois should have a budget surplus. So why is Illinois $2 billion behind in its pension fund obligations, and needing a lottery program?

When the flood of wage-depressing illegal immigrants retires, who is going to pay for their food, rent and health care?

Studies show that poor, disadvantaged Americans lose earning power because they must compete against illegal immigrants for jobs. Why do you turn your back on the poorest of our citizens?

The U.S. is running out of landfills for our garbage and our 1.6 gallon per flush toilets prove that our water is limited. Why does our country need more people?

If the U.S. Senate votes to let illegal immigrants remain in this country, will that encourage more next year?

Suppose I violate some federal law for five years. Will you pass a law allowing me to keep violating that law?

Will you analyze and publicly discuss the true costs of granting amnesty to the illegal immigrants? Will you please publicly answer these questions before you vote for an amnesty?

BEACON NEWS

Naperville brochure has NAACP up in arms - Kathy Cichon

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/city/2_1_AU06_NAACP_S1.htm

NAPERVILLE — While the city says the photo on the front of Naperville's official 175th anniversary event guide is depicting unity, some residents see it as a symbol of centuries of hatred.

On the front cover of the guide is a collage of eight photos encircling one of a birthday cake. Among those featured is one of a little girl at Naper Settlement's Civil War Days. The girl is holding an American flag — and wearing a hat with a Confederate flag.

"It's kind of subtle, but there it is," said Naperville resident Sherid Smith. "At first you think, 'Oh, a cute little girl.' When you really look at it — cute little girl with a Confederate hat on."

Upon seeing the brochure, Smith called Mayor George Pradel's office and was referred to community relations. She then spoke with Gary Karafiat, community relations manager for the city.

Karafiat said a five-person editing team reviewed the text and photos in the guide. With the theme of unity, the committee wanted to depict on the cover large community scenes and activity. The photo of the little girl illustrates the unity between the North and the South, he said.

"We thought it said both heritage and unity at the same time," he said.

"We had no interest in insulting anybody."

The city printed 75,000 copies of the event guide, and 65,000 of them were mailed to all of the households in Naperville, Karafiat said.

Smith said she would like to see the guide reprinted — with a letter inside the brochure explaining the reason why — and mailed out again. She would also like an apology.

Karafiat said at this point, the city will stick with the current event guide. The cost to print and mail the guide came to about $34,000, he said.

"Our budget couldn't absorb reprinting or remailing," he said.

Asked if the picture would be chosen if it were to be done all over again, Karafiat said it would likely be used.

"I think we'd probably still use the picture," Karafiat said. "It speaks volumes of our youth in this community and how they're being educated about our heritage."

Smith said she is not pleased with Karafiat's position on the photo, one that she said is "insensitive" on the part of the city.

"He sees it as unity; I see it as being divisive," Smith said.

After talking with Karafiat, Smith called her pastor. In the last few days she has spoken to multiple friends and at least two past presidents of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Aurora resident Marvin Byrd, who is past president of the DuPage County branch of the NAACP, said residents who were offended by the photo called him and asked what they should do. He recommended going public with their thoughts.

"They were quite upset about it, and for good cause," he said. "During the Confederacy, our people were considered subhuman."

He said any picture that reflects that sort of image is an insult.

"We don't blame the little girl," Byrd said. "We blame the adults — the people with the attitude that we should still subscribe to that phase of history when we were considered subhuman."

Current DuPage NAACP President Theresa Dear told CBS-TV she is "disturbed and extremely disappointed that elected officials and individuals in leadership positions in Naperville would not seem to have respect for their neighbors and taxpayers of color. Someone should have said no."

HERALD NEWS

A politico's pets  Will County beagle is one of Topinka's traveling pals - Suzanne Baker

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/features/4_5_jo06_pettopinka_s1.htm

Peggy Sue once was a stray beagle in Will County. Now she belongs to Judy Baar Topinka and tours Illinois with the state treasurer.

Peggy and her mate — Molly McDoo, who has a Scottish terrier heritage — get the good seats in the van during long road trips. That includes the spot Topinka uses for napping.

"Peggy likes to take my spot, and then she hogs the space and leaves hair everywhere," Topinka said of her Will County companion.

"I wear a lot of dark suits. We keep a roller with the sticky tape in the van so I don't look like a hairy beast," she said.

Topinka's the only state constitutional officer to feature her pets on her Web site. The canine traveling companions can be viewed at www.state.il.us/treas /Kids/kids.htm.

Peggy Sue was not adopted, but wound up with Topinka after being found by someone else locally. Molly was given to Topinka as a gift from a former chief of staff 13 years ago. Molly learned how to be housebroken while touring Illinois in Topinka's van.

Topinka faces incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich in the November election for the governor's office. The candidate and her two companions have rode many miles together.

The van is almost a third home for the dogs. Both dogs travel so much that they know the route between Springfield and Riverside.

The dogs can sleep the entire trip, but as soon as they get a couple of blocks away from either home, they wake up and run to the windows with tails wagging, Topinka said.

At one time, Molly was the only dog in the family. Because she was so quiet, Molly often spent her days prancing around the Statehouse in Springfield.

Topinka thought that Molly needed a friend to keep her company and came across Andrew, a.k.a. Andy — a basset and beagle mix named after the downstate country road where he was found.

An older dog, Andy wasn't in the greatest shape, and nobody likely would have adopted him, particularly because of all the medications he took.

"I called him my $10,000 dog," Topinka said.

Topinka wasn't sure if Andy would be the right fit, but Molly and Andrew became fast friends.

Molly stayed at home to keep Andy company. Because of Andrew's beagle bloodlines, the possibility of a bark — or loud yelp or bay in his case — became too risky to bring him to work with Molly.

Andrew lived out the rest of his life under Molly's watch. When he died, Molly was devastated.

"She didn't eat, and she moped around," Topinka said.

Around that time, Molly's groomer asked Topinka if she knew of anyone who might want a dog because she was looking to place a stray beagle that was found in Will County.

The arrival of Peggy Sue was just what Molly needed. "Peggy came at the right time," Topinka said.

Like Andy, Peggy keeps Molly company at home. A pet sitter comes to check on them during the day.

When the treasurer goes out of town, so do the dogs.

Any time a trip calls for extended stays away at hotels, the dogs' suitcases are packed with food, bowls, pig ears, rawhides and toys.

Taking time out for pit stops has allowed Molly and Peggy to meet a lot of nice people and dogs. But not all encounters start off smoothly.

"One time we pulled off in a small town and parked near a store that was closed," Topinka said. "The police showed up with spotlights blaring."

The dogs managed to convince the police that the group wasn't going to rob the store.

Topinka's love of animals extends beyond her two dogs. The treasurer established what she calls the Treasured Pets program, a link off the treasurer's office Web site that includes a listing of 28 no-kill shelters across the state, including Tender Loving Care in Homer Glen.

Topinka said the cost of starting up and running a Web site can be an added expense for shelters. The money saved could be used for boarding costs and veterinary care.

Since the Treasured Pets program was instituted, well more than 300 dogs and 50 cats have been given new homes, Topinka said.

Because of the ease of setting up such a program, Topinka is encouraging treasurers in other states to consider setting up a spot on their Web sites to list shelters. 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

"I understand the challenge the governor faces," Durbin said when he took questions from reporters Sunday outside his Springfield home. "He is trying to continue to avoid raising income taxes and sales taxes, and that is a good thing."

However, Durbin said, he has reservations about one-time transactions.

"I am skeptical of selling off major assets of the state," Durbin said. "I think we have spent generations, decades, building up these assets, and selling them off for a short-term gain may be short-sighted."

Durbin, who is assistant Democratic leader of the Senate, said he supports fellow Democrat Blagojevich for re-election.

"He's had a tough time," Durbin said. "It's not easy to cut spending. It's not easy to avoid raising taxes. And there are people that are unhappy with many decisions that he's made. But I believe that he has demonstrated that he's made progress and that in a second term we can, I hope, turn the corner and put this state on sound financial footing."

A call to a weekend telephone number for a Blagojevich spokesman Sunday went unanswered. However, when he announced his program, Blagojevich said in a news release that his plan "carefully looks at what our kids need to succeed, and boldly proposes the changes needed to help them get there."

On other issues, Durbin said coming debates in the Senate on proposed constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and burning of the American flag are designed to help Republicans in coming elections, not deal with the country's top problems. He said marriage laws should remain a state responsibility, and he said it is a "gross exaggeration" to say that the six reported instances of flag burning in the United States last year amount to a national problem.

"We have limited time in Washington," and it should be used on issues such as energy policy, health care and education, Durbin said.

Recent allegations that American troops may have killed civilians in Iraq, Durbin said, do not reflect on the courage of the hundreds of thousands of troops who are risking their lives and serving honorably, but he said the allegations must be dealt with "honestly, justly and openly." He also reiterated his view that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld should resign.

"When you think about the way that this war has been handled, it is really a sad outcome for the soldiers and the American people," Durbin said.

On the issue of energy, Durbin said he thinks the federal government should force oil companies to make E-85, the high ethanol fuel that can be used only in certain vehicles, available at their gasoline stations.

"The oil companies have been reluctant to put in these tanks with E-85 because they don't make the E-85. They want to sell their gasoline. But consumers need this."

Durbin also said he is holding a $250-per-person fundraiser at his home today for Tammy Duckworth. A former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in a grenade attack in Iraq, she is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in the 6th Congressional District. Durbin said she is in town for a labor convention and National Guard duty this weekend.

Duckworth is running against state Sen. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton, for the seat now held by U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Wood Dale, who is retiring.

In separate actions, Commissioner Michael Quigley formally requested a legal opinion from State’s Attorney Richard Devine on if and how the board can act if the president is found to be incapacitated. And Commissioner Anthony Peraica began circulating a resolution to call a special board meeting on Mr. Stroger’s status.

Though neither action necessarily will lead to the selection of a new board president, they add a new note of immediacy to a controversy that, until now, has largely centered on whether Mr. Stroger will step down from the Democratic ticket in the November election—not whether someone else should take over county government now.

The spokeswoman for Mr. Stroger, who suffered a severe stroke in March, released a statement saying only, “We are not in the position to tell commissioners what they can or cannot do.”

A spokeswoman for Mr. Devine said he had not yet received Mr. Quigley’s letter but “will respond in due time” when it does.

Mr. Quigley, a North Side Democrat, said he acted because the law is “vague” on incapacity in the county’s chief executive, even though, “there is strong evidence the president is unable to complete his duties.

“I’ve asked for an opinion of incapacity, what it means, how it’s determined, and what the role of the board is,” Mr. Quigley said. “Mr. Stroger’s wife has asked him to retire. All the obvious evidence is that there is incapacity. How long can this go on? We need some answers.” Mr. Quigley noted that the board is awaiting an answer from Mr. Devine on a letter from another commissioner on how it could deal with a “vacancy.” But Mr. Quigley’s letter appears to take the matter farther by directly dealing with the question of incapacity.

The letter, formally addressed to Pat Driscoll, chief of the civil actions bureau and Mr. Devine's liaison to the county board, notes existing state law allows temporary replacement in the event of “death, resignation, removal from office or other inability to act,” by the incumbent.

Mr. Quigley’s letter asks what “inability to act” means and who makes that judgment.

Mr. Peraica’s resolution is even more direct. It proposes that the board call a special meeting within 10 to 20 days to take testimony—by subpoena, if need be—on whether the president is suffering from “a physical or mental disability” that is preventing him from carrying out the responsibilities of the job.

Mr. Peraica, a suburban Republican who is the GOP nominee for president in the November election, said the law is not vague at all but quite clear: “We have a statutory responsibility as commissioners to act.” If a disability exists, the law requires the board to name one of its members interim president until the president recovers or a successor is elected, according to Mr. Peraica.

To take effect, Mr. Peraica’s resolution would have to be approved by the board—an action that may be unlikely on the Democrat-dominated panel. But the proposal may increase pressure to resolve the matter, which is causing sharp division even among Mr. Stroger’s African-American political base.

Mr. Peraica began circulating his proposal to other commissioners on Monday, and said he has been assured it will be seconded at the board meeting on Tuesday, likely going to committee. The resolution also will ask the state’s attorney to draft an ordinance setting up a formal line-of-succession in the event of any future disability. Mr Peraica said that proposal would be based on the presidential succession clause in the U.S. Constitution.

Blagojevich and Daley: A look inside gov't confirms worst suspicions - Editorial
http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?article_id=25928&bt=daley+blagojevich&arc=n&searchType=all

It's the not the kind of learning you get in a classroom. This kind of education comes only in a courtroom, where those who know the details of government operations spell them out for jurors. But all of us can and should pay attention.

And the more we learn, the more it confirms our darkest suspicions. Despite claims to the contrary by Mayor Richard M. Daley and Gov. Rod Blagojevich, clout and connections appear to dominate decision-making in their administrations.

Consider the testimony last week in the City Hall corruption trial of senior functionaries in the Mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA). We've always suspected that patronage hiring was still thriving in Chicago, but the case is giving us an inside look at the extent to which it remains a routine, systematic practice throughout city government.

A longtime city personnel official testified that hiring is controlled by IGA, the nerve center of patronage at City Hall. He testified that IGA determined who got jobs at all levels of city government, even lower-level posts that are supposed to be exempt from politically influenced hiring under the Shakman decree. Another official testified that hiring procedures were rigged to ensure that those on IGA's lists got jobs, regardless of their qualifications.

Lists of the politically deserving also played a role in hiring at the state level, according to a news report last week. The Associated Press reported that Gov. Blagojevich's office approved hiring for jobs as far down the chain as highway repair workers. The lists show that the governor's office was signing off on hires for civil service positions, which are supposed to be filled without regard to political considerations.

A spokeswoman for the governor told the AP that the system was used only in the early days of the administration, and that lists of approved hires are no longer kept.

Whether any laws have been broken is a question for jurors to decide. Whether government in Illinois and Chicago needs to change is a question for all of us to decide.

GALESBURG REGISTER-MAIL

A.G. candidate says it's a matter of trust  Umholtz believes public will demand change in state - John Pulliam

http://www.register-mail.com/stories/060506/LOC_BA0SMBA5.GID.shtml

Stewart Umholtz, the Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general, feels the biggest issue in his race against incumbent Democrat Lisa Madigan is public trust.

Umholtz, a native of Pekin, is serving his third term as the Tazewell County state's attorney. A stop Saturday evening at the Best Western Prairie Inn was part of a whirlwind day of campaigning for the University of Illinois graduate who initially majored in journalism.

Wearing a short-sleeved, white polo shirt, Umholtz sipped from a glass of ice water as he outlined what he sees as some of the most important things he will address if sent to Springfield by voters in November.

Topping Umholtz' list is toughening the Illinois Open Meetings Act so it applies to the General Assembly.

"It has never made sense to me the General Assembly would pass a law that the people's business should be conducted in the open and then exempt themselves from the law," Umholtz said.

The candidate candidly admits the leaders of both parties are unlikely at this time to support applying the Open Meetings Act to the General Assembly. So how would he change that?

"I think the public will demand it," Umholtz said. "Let's face it, the media will play some role in this. ... I think there's a great possibility of making this change to the law and I will advocate that."

Sitting in a quiet booth in one of the hotel's dining rooms, Umholtz explained his emphasis on more openness in government.

"I think it's public trust," he said. "I think the public lacks the basic trust of its state government right now, so that should be job one."

He said government cannot properly handle the people's business without that trust.

Umholtz, who first decided to attend law school as a junior at the U of I, said once the public loses trust in its government, fewer people vote, and the "best and the brightest" individuals take their talents to areas other than government service.

"If you have a governor allowing inside influence, like in the bidding process, then the legitimate bidders are not going to participate," he said.

Fewer bidders, especially legitimate ones, means higher bids, Umholtz said.

Umholtz is troubled by what he calls "deceptive business practices" in Springfield, the government raising fees "more than can be justified" as a way of getting around constitutional limits on increasing taxes.

Stopping what Umholtz terms the "sweeping" of money from teachers' pension funds and money for special license plates, such as those earmarked for firefighters' memorials or preventing domestic violence, from going into the general fund also is on the Umholtz agenda.

Umholtz sees the governor's plan to sell the state lottery to a private company as being in the "only in Illinois" category. He said it will not benefit education, but will simply put off the ability to make long-range solutions about education funding. Umholtz labeled the governor's proposal "purely political."

"Never had I heard anything about this until he needed to get (state Sen.) James Meeks, (a Chicago independent) out of the race. I opened my newspaper and I think, 'wow, only in the state of Illinois can a governor buy off his opponent,' " Umholtz said.

Umholtz believes there will never be equal education funding until the reliance on property taxes is eliminated or lessened. He feels the state income tax was created to fund education.

Umholtz knows downstate candidates face daunting challenges in statewide races, but he believes this will be an unusual political year.

"I believe if the folks in Illinois want to see change in how the people's business is being conducted, then my candidacy will be seen as the best opportunity for change," he said.

Umholtz at a Glance

- Married to: Valerie

- Children: 3; Nicholas, Alexander and Anna

- Education: Illinois Central College, associate's degree, 1979; University of Illinois, B.S., Journalism, 1981; Northern Illinois University School of Law, J.D., May 1985

- Legal Experience: Assistant Tazewell County state's attorney, Oct. 1985 to Sept. 1995; Tazewell County state's attorney, Sept. 1995 to present

- Political party: Republican

- Office sought: Illinois attorney general

FAMILY TAXPAYERS NETWORK

On the House side, there are 53 Republicans whose combined service totals over 450 years.  On the senate side, the 27 Republicans have over 250 years of combined service.

That sure is a lot of time.  Over seven centuries!  A lot can be learned in over seven hundred years of serving in the General Assembly.  That kind of accumulated knowledge has the potential to make for quite an effective force.

Just think, for example, if all those Republican legislators believed a big part of their job was to move public opinion toward supporting needed reforms.  With all that combined wisdom – imagine what could be done.

Unfortunately, no one considers the Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly an effective force.  The people we elect get to define their own job – and they usually decide their primary task is reelection.  They don’t think much of what Lincoln said in Chicago 150 years ago:

"Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government, practically just so much."

So all that rich experience and learning is aimed at the wrong goal: avoiding controversy and raising enough money to stave off real competition come election time.

Fortunately, examples of leadership can be found in other states.  If you haven’t yet, you might want to read a recent article by Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard about Florida Governor Jeb Bush.  It’s a rather impressive summation of what can be accomplished in seven years (Jeb Bush was first elected in 1998 and was reelected in 2002).

Sure, this is Illinois, not Florida.  But there are some similarities between the two states.  The obvious are that both have a lot of Democrats, both have recently seen Democrats win statewide elections, and both have problems common to large states.

While Florida is a red state where Republicans control the state legislature (recall the razor thin margin between Red and Blue during the 2000 Florida recount battle), it wasn't all that long ago that Illinois had a Republican governor and Republican control of the state senate.

According to the article, Jeb Bush has

“…presided over a booming economy with the highest rate of job creation

in the country and an unemployment rate of 3.0 percent (the national

average is 4.6 percent). Florida has no state income tax, but Bush has

nonetheless found a way to cut taxes every year of the eight he's been in

office. Meanwhile, he's trimmed the state employment rolls by 11,000.”

A few other excerpts are worth noting.  The article says that Bush is

“…an extraordinary risk taker and innovator. He's made Florida, in the

jargon of bipartisan experts, a ‘laboratory of democracy.’  He's mined state

and local think tanks for ideas that might streamline state government and

make it more effective.”

Bush also is

“…the first governor to impose stringent testing and accountability on

Florida elementary and secondary schools, along with three voucher

programs…”

Bush is not viewed by the media as the nation’s best governor – but

“…by a smaller group: governors who served with him and experts and

think-tank and conservative policy wonks who regard state government as

something other than a machine for taxing and spending.”

Of course for that to happen in Illinois, we’d need leadership with the character, intelligence, vision, and courage to do something quite bold.  Specifically, we’d need individuals willing to risk offending all those really nice people who regularly meet with them to defend misguided policies and lobby for ever higher spending.

Each Republican member of the General Assembly has to make the decision whether or not he or she wants to make a difference; whether his or her career highlight will be the equivalent of being named “Legislator of the Year” by the Illinois Nurses Association.

Illinois is facing some rough policy roads ahead.  And each of those roads is in need of repair because of bad bipartisan behavior.

We need a few legislators to break from the pack.  We need some of them to be motivated by more than their General Assembly paycheck, per diem, pension, and all those really nice warm feelings they get from their lobbyist friends and the smarmy socialist types who are regular visitors to the state capitol and legislative offices around the state.

Seven centuries of Republican legislative experience so far hasn’t done us much good.  You may think FTN is just being negative, but it is ironic that Florida’s Jeb Bush is term limited and our Illinois Republican legislators are not.

PERAICA CAMPAIGN

Peraica To Introduce Resolution Demanding Resolution

http://votetony06.com/press/contentview.asp?c=33692

-- That within 10 days after its adoption, the Board's presiding officer (or acting presiding officer) shall schedule a meeting of the Committee of the Whole of this Board to take place within 20 days;

-- That the agenda of that meeting will include the taking of sworn testimony on the question of whether President Stroger is presently able to discharge the powers and duties of his executive and/or legislative offices;

-- That the Board's presiding officer (or acting presiding officer) shall cause subpoenas to issue compelling testimony by any and all Cook County employees in a position to have personal knowledge on the question, including the President's Chief of Staff, James Whigham;

-- That, should the evidence suggest that President Stroger has a present temporary disability, the Board's presiding officer (or acting presiding officer) shall request that the State's Attorney of Cook County draft an ordinance modeled after the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions, providing for a process for the temporary replacement of a Cook County Board President or Commissioner.

Jesse Jackson Backs Peraica

http://votetony06.com/press/contentview.asp?c=33689

Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica's (R-Lyons) reform candidacy for Cook County Board Presidency is proving the old adage that politics makes strange bedfellows.

Several prominent Democrats, including erstwhile opponents, have followed Peraica's lead in calling for the Stroger family to come clean with the County Board as to President John Stroger's health and to answer questions about who is running the $3 billion corporation that is Cook County government.

Take Jesse Jackson, for instance. On Sunday's Fox Chicago Perspectives, Jackson had this to say about the Stroger situation, "...the grace period respecting his need to recovery and that of his family has been very important but now he is not only a private person with family matter he's a public servant and the lack of knowledge of his health is in effect paralyzing county government and creating a traffic jam as it were."

Jackson continued, "We need an official report from the doctor and/or he should at least wave his hand. If he is too ill to function and all signs he is then we must have some orderly process of getting someone to replace him."

Saying the time has arrived for an indication from the family Jackson added, "As the public, we have a need and a right to know."

After hypocritically criticizing Peraica for raising these very issues, fellow Commissioner Mike Quigley went on to parrot Peraica's call for answers and leadership telling the Sylvia Gomez of CBS-2 News on Friday, "Our prayers are with him (Stroger), but someone needs to lead and someone needs to make a decision soon."

Fellow commissioner Bobbie Steele who has put herself forward as a candidate to replace Stroger should he be unable to continue as the Democratic nominee for the Board Presidency also indicated Friday that the Stroger family needs to inform the public of the President's intentions. Steele has already received the public backing of State Sen. James Meeks (D-Dolton) and the Jackson family as she jockeys to replace the ailing John Stroger.

At tomorrow morning's county board meeting, Peraica will raise the issue of information from the Stroger family as well as lay out a resolution designed to codify a replacement process in the event President Stroger is unable to continue in his current capacity.