Gorman kicks off re-election bid with Cook Co. ethics victory
Republican Commissioner Liz Gorman pushed an ethics ordinance designed to combat nepotism through the Cook County Board Wednesday, then announced her plans to seek re-election.
"This is an opportunity for Cook County to lead the way in ethics reform. How about that?" said Gorman, of Orland Park. "This is a transparency issue ... about adding sunshine, and it's getting so bright here you've got to wear shades."
The ordinance calls on anyone doing business with the county to reveal any family relationship with government employees, and also removes anyone with a family interest from making a hiring or contractual decision.
"Not that they're not going to get the business," Gorman said, "but it's all about disclosure and transparency."
Chicago Democratic Commissioner John Daley, chairman of the finance committee, expanded Gorman's ordinance before passage to include lobbyists as well.
The similarly reform-minded Lobbyist Sunshine Initiative, sponsored by Chicago Democratic Commissioner Bridget Gainer and County Clerk David Orr, was tabled for two weeks, while picking up seemingly veto-proof support from other commissioners. Fees were added to the ordinance, which calls on lobbyists to report their activities online in a timely fashion, while banning county employees from lobbying for a year after leaving a government job. The proposal was sent back to the finance committee.
"The real reason for that is to give people a chance for public comment," Gainer said. At the same time, almost the entire county board piled on as co-sponsors, protecting it against any possible veto by President Todd Stroger.
"But there's no reason to believe he's not supportive," Gainer added.
Reform was in the air, as the Shakman compliance administrators for both the county and the sheriff issued reports stating progress has been made in limiting political hiring. Mary Robinson, the county's Shakman administrator, did echo her report of earlier this week praising Human Resources Bureau Chief Joseph Sova, but insisting he needed to be freed to fill top positions with nonexempt employees.
"HR needs reorganization, and it needs politically independent supervisors," Robinson said, to police political hiring in all other departments.
Stroger pledged to give Sova his full support, saying, "We don't use clout in the HR system."
The board also tentatively accepted a preliminary $850 million budget request for the county health and hospitals system, pending a formal budget presentation expected in November. The hospitals system is requesting less money from the county next year, thanks to $60 million in cuts from eliminating 900 open positions, $20 million in savings with a group purchasing plan and a $134 million windfall from a federal program benefiting hospitals that treat an uncommonly large number of uninsured patients.
Gorman, meanwhile, announced she'll formally declare her campaign for re-election in the 17th District, which covers the western edge of Cook County from the southwest to the northwest suburbs, at an event at 6 p.m. Thursday at Sam Maguire's in Orland Park. U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, Republican U.S. Senate candidate, is expected to attend.