Cook County GOP comes out roaring

For anyone who expected Cook County Republicans to be sacrificial lambs in seeking countywide office, they sounded more like hungry lions at the opening of their two-day convention in Rosemont Friday.

"We are soldiers," said Roger Keats, slated as the party's endorsed candidate for County Board president. "We are taking on what has been an army that has controlled this state for a decade now and controlled this county for almost a half-century."

Sounding forcible and feisty back on the stump after his 16-year career in the state Senate ended 17 years ago, the Wilmette Republican struck the keynote theme of his campaign in saying Democrats had basically handed him the issue of fighting corrupt, inefficient government, including that of President Todd Stroger.

"When we're passing out our nominating petitions, I just say, 'We're the team against Todd Stroger,'" Keats said. "They all but knock me down trying to get the petition out of my hands, saying, 'Where do I sign?'"

"We're going to put an end to pay-to-play politics," said Lee Roupas, chairman of the Cook County Republican Central Committee. "We're going to offer voters an alternative on good, ethical, clean government. It's going to be fiscally responsible with the taxpayer dollar."

Keats promised that if elected next year, he would cut the county budget, roll back the 1 percent sales-tax increase and immediately bolster the staff of Inspector General Patrick Blanchard to root out corruption. He also promised to fully cooperate with any and all Freedom of Information Act requests.

"I will say those records are open," Keats said. "This will be the most transparent government you'll ever see."

Keats also hit property-tax assessments, saying, "If I took a chimpanzee and blindfolded him and I tied one of his arms behind his back and I took him in a dark room and I gave him a dart to throw at a wall covered with the assessment maps for Cook County, that chimpanzee would be more accurate than the current assessment process."

Keats stood at the head of a slate including Frederick Collins running for sheriff, Angel Garcia for clerk, Sharon Eckersall for assessor, Carol Morse for treasurer, Paul Chialdikas for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and Dan Patlak for 1st District Commissioner of the Board of Review.

"We have a slate that can run in any precinct anywhere in this county," Keats said. "We intend to compete everywhere."

Addressing those who might disregard his candidacy, Keats pointed to how County Board Commissioner Tony Peraica got almost 47 percent of the vote against Stroger in 2006.

"And people didn't know Todd Stroger and his administration very well," Keats added.

Since then, he said, Stroger's penchant for big government and tax increases have galvanized opposition.

"You are seeing an awareness that, truthfully, even in 2006, I didn't see," Keats said. "Suburban turnout is going to be huge. There is huge dissatisfaction."

"There's no doubt people are fed up," echoed Chicago Police Officer John Garrido, who is running against Keats in the February primary. He promised a fair campaign that would raise the profile of both GOP candidates, but insisted as a Chicago police officer, he appealed to more voters across the county.

Keats said Paul Vallas, the former Chicago Public Schools chief, urged him to run after deciding not to himself.

"When folks came to me, my first response was, 'I'm rather enjoying my life,'" Keats said.

He's spent the last 15 years in the financial-services industry. But he recalled the words of Ronald Reagan in asking, "Have I really made a difference in my time?"

Keats also dismissed scuttlebutt that had him keeping the nomination warm until party committeemen decide whom best to position against the winner of the Democratic Primary, Stroger or not - as if the force of Keats' speech hadn't made that point already.

"Nobody talked to me or Lee Roupas or any of our slate," Keats said. "I'm committed to doing this because I've lived in this place basically all my life. And when I look at what the Chicago Democratic machine has done to this county and this state, I've had it. I've actually had it, and at some point, you just have to say enough is enough is enough."

Cook County Republicans will slate state and federal candidates in a straw poll Saturday at Rosemont's Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.