Cronin: ‘The old rules just don’t apply’

No one can say it’s been an uneventful first six months for DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin.

The Elmhurst Republican, who took office in January after serving as a state senator, was dealing with residual fallout from the DuPage Water Commission losing track of millions of dollars when a second financial scandal involving a county agency broke.

Federal audits revealed the DuPage Housing Authority either misspent or failed to account for about $10.5 million, while the agency’s former executive director wined and dined on the taxpayer.

“I have been immersed in crisis,” Cronin said. “I go to work not knowing what may come up. It’s been very interesting, challenging and unpredictable.”

But Cronin got out in front on the issues, replacing the entire housing authority board, appointing six new members and a new chairman to the water commission, and asking Springfield to give him more oversight over all the boards and commissions he appoints.

It’s a response that’s being praised by Cronin’s predecessor, Robert Schillerstrom.

“He (Cronin) recognizes the fact that one of the problems the county has is that these are independent units of government that can do exactly what they want,” said Schillerstrom, who served three terms as board chairman. “And the only time that either he or the county board has any real say is when they make appointments. That is — and has been — a frustrating set of circumstances.”

The chairman and county board are responsible for appointing nearly 240 people to about four dozen different boards and commissions. Cronin said those units of government — including sanitary districts and mosquito abatement districts — are “too independent.”

“They are not accountable to anybody,” he said.

That could change if state legislation Cronin pushed for is signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn. The state senate recently approved a plan to allow county boards to obtain virtually any financial information they want from the agencies they appoint.

“It will give us some tools so we can start looking at these different little agencies and units of local government,” Cronin said.

Once he gets a better understanding of what the various entities are doing, Cronin said he will explore consolidation and privatization opportunities. Cronin also plans to change the process of finding appointees for boards and commissions. He said the county needs to actively search for qualified candidates committed to public service.

“That is our key to success — getting new, talented, smart, honest people,” he said. “I think there’s plenty of people who would be interested if you had some process to reach out and identify them.”

By seeking reforms now, Cronin said he hopes to prevent another financial scandal from happening in the future. Meanwhile, the housing authority continues to be a source of concern.

“Although we’ve been able to get rid of the bad apples, we still have their mistakes to deal with,” he said.

Cronin forced the resignation of DuPage Housing Authority Executive Director John Day in March. Day’s deputy, Robert Hess, also retired after Cronin learned about two audits critical of the agency by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Then Cronin replaced every member of the housing authority board when a third audit charged the agency improperly spent more than $5.8 million in federal money and failed to adequately document another $4.7 million. Unlike the two prior reports, the last one specifically called for the repayment of nearly $5.1 million in misspent federal funds.

Cathy Ficker Terrill, who until recently served as the agency’s interim director, said the authority has since submitted a corrective action plan to HUD, is retrieving missing records and is “in the process of making the changes necessary to come into full compliance.”

She said it’s fortunate Cronin stepped in and took immediate action.

“He appointed a new board that understands the mission of the housing authority,” said Terrill, who now serves as interim deputy director. “They are taking their job seriously.”

The biggest challenge facing the authority is how it’s going to comply with the requirement to repay millions of dollars from “nonfederal” sources. Most of the agency’s budget comes from the federal government. It receives nearly $23 million a year in HUD assistance and has limited amounts of cash in its nonfederal accounts.

With officials acknowledging it would take the authority “forever” to repay its debt, Cronin said he wants to see if that amount could be reduced or forgiven.

Another issue that has Cronin concerned is the proposed congressional map. He said the map, drawn by Democratic lawmakers, would reduce DuPage’s political influence.

For example, Cronin said, he and other Elmhurst residents soon could find themselves represented by U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, a liberal Democrat from Chicago.

“I need congressmen and legislators who can deliver for us,” Cronin said. “Are we going to be a priority for a guy whose backyard is Wrigley Field? I don’t know.”

Addison Township GOP Chairman Pat Durante said Democrats “went a little overboard” when they drafted both the state legislative and congressional maps. “But to the victor goes the spoils,” he said.

Still, Durante said one advantage Cronin has is that he served nearly two decades as a state lawmaker and has friends in both parties.

“He’s well-liked by Democrats,” Durante said. “You have to get along with the guys you are going to for the things we need in DuPage County.”

Cronin said his focus in the months ahead will be to provide stable leadership in a political climate where everything is changing and “the old rules just don’t apply.”

“It’s imperative that DuPage County serve as the example of good government,” he said. “So whatever it is we do, we want to make sure that we do it in a first-rate, professional manner with openness and transparency.”