Q&A with Peraica
Q. Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what? What will be your main priority?
I am running for Cook County State's Attorney because I have a genuine desire to change the corrupt political climate that severely diminishes the quality of life for the residents and taxpayers of Cook County. To date, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office has not been effective in fighting public corruption, which has been allowed to flourish in Cook County. We are all aware that corruption is one of the leading causes of high taxes, but there are other negative consequences that impact our quality of life as well. Corruption leads to failing schools, less security, diminished quality of services and unsafe streets to name a few. Now more than ever, it is critical to elect a state's attorney who is willing to fight corruption where it is found, and will work to change the political culture that is pervasive in Cook County. If I am elected states attorney, I will focus like a laser on public corruption and will investigate and prosecute those who abuse the public trust and fleece the taxpayers for their own personal gain. We can no longer afford to pay the high cost of corruption, and it is time for much needed change in the state's attorney's office.
Q. As a non-incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.
I have owned and operated my own law practice for more than twenty-five years. As a private practice attorney, I have gained experience with work on a wide variety of cases. I have worked all types of criminal defense cases, and I am familiar with the workings of the Cook County criminal justice system. I have also done a great deal of work on civil cases. A state's attorney should have experience in both areas of law. The Cook County State's Attorney is not only the prosecutor of criminal cases, but also defends the county in civil actions as well. I feel that my private practice experience gives me an advantage over my opponent whose experience is limited to criminal prosecutions.
Q. What will you do to prosecute police, prosecutorial and political corruption? Do you think the resource allocation currently used in the office is sufficient to prosecute corruption? If not, how would you reallocate it, and what other areas would you take away from to beef up political corruption prosecution?
I do not believe that the state's attorney's office currently allocates sufficient resources or attention to fighting public corruption. I will put together a public corruption task force that will focus exclusively on matters of government corruption. Police, prosecutorial and public corruption will be investigated and prosecuted by this unit. It is vitally important that corrupt police officers and prosecutors are weeded out and brought to justice. Most police officers and prosecutors are honest and hard working public servants, and they are done a terrible disservice when corrupt officers and prosecutors commit acts that give their respective professions a bad name. Any additional resources required can be derived from reorganizing the state's attorney's budget, and targeting the required resources toward fighting corruption. There are many individuals employed by the state's attorney's office that serve no prosecutorial function. A desk audit of all personnel should be performed, and those deemed unnecessary should be eliminated.
Q. Historically, the state's attorney's office has been shaped almost as much by the first assistant as the state's attorney. Who would your first assistant state's attorney pick be?
At this time, I am not prepared to name an individual who would be selected for this position. I intend to put a great deal of deliberation and thought into this selection. The person who is ultimately named for this position will be a highly qualified and experienced attorney who shares my philosophy and goals for this office. I intend to pick someone who is in the mold of Patrick Fitzgerald, who is independent and interested in justice for the residents of Cook County.
Q. What will your criteria be for use of outside counsel once you are elected? For what purposes would you use them, would there be an hourly price cap and what criteria would you use in selecting outside counsel? Do you believe firms who donated or whose employees donated to your campaign should be eligible for hire by the county?
I believe the use of outside counsel should be limited and outside counsel should only be used when absolutely necessary. Under the current state's attorney, politically connected law firms are appointed to represent the county and a number of these firms have made millions of dollars in legal fees. One such firm is Shefsky & Froelich, the former law firm of Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine as well as the current law firm of Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin. In some instances, this firm has billed the county more than twice the amount established for outside counsel by county ordinance. I do not believe that law firms that have close ties to the state's attorney should be retained to represent the county. Law firms whose employees make campaign contributions should be ineligible.
Q. What policy emphases in the current state's attorney's office would you change, specifically, and why?
As a matter of fairness, I would support a change in policy regarding employee representation in the state's attorney's office. I believe that employees of the state's attorney's office should have a voice in deciding their representation. Another policy I would change is that there be clear and accurate titles given to all employees. These titles should accurately reflect the scope of work performed by the employees. There are many employees of this office that are classified as Assistant State's Attorneys, who spend little to no time prosecuting cases.
Q. If you are elected to this office, would you ever consider running for higher office? Why or why not?
Any decision regarding the seeking of another office would be made based upon what I believe is best for the public interest. For example, I decided to seek the office of Cook County State's Attorney because I felt we needed a state's attorney who would fight corruption, and I was not convinced that corruption was a priority for the current state's attorney or his administration. The state's attorney's office would allow me to be a more effective county reformer for the people of Cook County. In the future, if a position were to become available which would allow me to better serve the public interest, then I would consider it.
Q. What were your grades in law school? Please provide a transcript from your law school or supply a release form allowing us to obtain a transcript directly from your college of law.
The Daily Herald has my permission to contact The John Marshall Law School and inquire about my law school grades.
Q. Please use this area to tell us about issues or your position on issues that we have not addressed that you believe voters should know about.
Under the supervision of my opponent, Anita Alvarez, the Public Integrity Unit has done very little to weed out corruption in governmental units. There are numerous occasions where the U.S. Attorney's Office and even newspaper reporters were able to uncover government corruption while this department was unable or unwilling to conduct a serious and thorough investigation. If I am elected, that will change. My office has received many complaints from community activists regarding plea agreements with violent offenders. Some contend the state's attorney's office is too willing to plea bargain serious felonies in order to dispose of a case backlog or boost their conviction rate. My stance is the state's attorney's office should minimize the use of plea bargaining for violent offenders. As state's attorney, I will vigorously prosecute those who commit violent acts and threaten the safety of our communities. I will not reduce felony charges to misdemeanor convictions in order to give the appearance of efficiency.