For Cook County president, Democratic: Preckwinkle

Change is an absolute must in the management and operation of the Cook County Board. Under the leadership of President Todd Stroger - whose campaign refused invitations to meet with the Daily Herald or to complete background information for voters to review at our Web site - the board's reputation as a free-spending haven of patronage poisoned by politics has only deepened, and Stroger, 47, of Chicago, is unwilling to acknowledge or address the concerns.

That is not a problem for any of his challengers, all of whom cite that reputation and completing the repeal of the odious sales tax increase among their top issues. Of the three candidates, we find longtime Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle most promising.

In 18 years on the Chicago City Council, Preckwinkle, 62, earned a reputation as a stalwart workhorse for her Hyde Park constituents and an independent voice among Democratic aldermen. She joined the fray for the county board presidency as she saw the body's leadership disintegrating, and she has quickly become intimately familiar with all aspects of the board operation, from its wasteful health system to its overcrowded jails. She speaks knowledgeably and forcefully about what needs to be done to return control and decorum to the management of the county board, and she has the intelligence, integrity and experience to make it happen.

Also challenging Stroger are Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, 56, of Chicago, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien, 53, of Chicago, each of whom brings certain strengths to the campaign. But Preckwinkle is the Democrat who offers the most promising combination of qualities for taking on the difficult challenge of cleaning up and opening up Cook County government.