Cook Dems slate candidates, pass on County Board president

Cook County's Democratic committeemen deferred making an endorsement in next year's race for county board President Thursday, setting the stage for a climactic session today at the Hotel Allegro in downtown Chicago.

Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Berrios said "there was no clear choice" for county board president among the committeemen present Thursday, and some committeemen suggested the group ultimately might make no endorsement for the job sought by incumbent Todd Stroger and four other Democrats.

The committeemen heard from county candidates Thursday and were to address statewide and federal offices today before issuing their final endorsements in the upcoming February primary.

Berrios was endorsed in his race for the assessor's office, as were incumbents Sheriff Tom Dart, Treasurer Maria Pappas and Clerk David Orr, who had formally announced his re-election bid earlier in the day.

Yet the battle royal was in the Cook County president's race, where Stroger defended himself against the other Democratic contenders.

"It's been a tough time, yes," Stroger told the committeemen. "It's been a tough time because I took the tough stances."

Stroger pointed out that the Illinois state and Chicago city governments are running at a deficit, while Cook County has remained in the black thanks to his unpopular 1 percentage point increase in the Cook County sales tax to 1.75 percent.

"People told me, people I respect, I have to look out for myself," Stroger said. "But in order to live with myself I had to do what's right for the county."

Two candidates for Stroger's seat, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, pledged to cut taxes.

"I envision the ability to reduce taxes," Davis said.

Preckwinkle promised "an incremental repeal of the penny increase in the sales tax" imposed last year. "The incumbent has not provided the kind of leadership that has produced both good service and efficient government," she added.

Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Chairman Terry O'Brien also sought the Democratic endorsement for the board presidency. O'Brien said the 1 percentage point increase was unnecessary, while Brown has backed a partial rollback.

Stroger called a news conference earlier in the day to lash out at a newspaper poll showing him with only a 10 percent approval rating.

"I can't live through the newspapers," he told the committeemen. "Newspapers are going to say whatever they want."

Davis also made a particular point of saying he would find ways to encourage economic development in suburban Cook County.

"There was no clear choice" on the race by the 40 committeemen in attendance, Berrios said at the end of the day, so they'll wait for the full body of 80 to decide today. Sources said Stroger's supporters, who got him nominated to replace his father in the general election three years ago, were pushing hard for an endorsement, but that there was no consensus and the committeemen may well make no pick in the race. Berrios said only he was "not sure" whether a decision would be reached today.

Statewide and federal candidates are scheduled to address the committeemen this morning, with the most contested endorsements being the U.S. Senate race between state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson and lawyer Jacob Meister and the gubernatorial race between incumbent Pat Quinn and state Comptroller Dan Hynes.

Technically, the full body will then rubber-stamp today's endorsements in the afternoon before making choices in the statewide and Senate races and, perhaps, for County Board president.