Stroger touts transparency - up to a point

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger said today he would release his tax returns for the last two years on Thursday and called on his opponents in Tuesday's Democratic Primary to do the same in the interest of "transparency," but at the same time he claimed no knowledge of two certificates of deposit taken out by his campaign for a total of $500,000 last August.

Suggesting he is "the real independent and true reformer," Stroger said at a news conference at the Hotel Allegro in Chicago that he would be releasing the tax returns for himself and his wife Thursday morning. "I would hope, better yet, I ask my opponents to do the same," he added.

He said voters need to know about any potential "conflicts of interest" in the way his Democratic opponents - Chicago Hyde Park Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien - make their money, including all family income.

"Regardless of what people might write or say, I have nothing to hide," Stroger said. "The truth is what frees people. That's why my candidacy ... is all about showing people what the truth is."

Yet asked if his campaign still has $500,000 in CDs at the Amalgamated Bank, as registered in his required financial disclosure at the end of 2009, Stroger said, "I don't believe we do," adding, "I don't think we have that there, and if we do I will find out and we will get back to you."

The Stroger campaign has not responded to numerous requests for information about the funds over the last week.

"We had at one time a CD," Stroger acknowledged, "but I believe we used that to pay off outstanding loans in the past, from the last election, actually."

As of Dec. 31, the $500,000 was still listed as an active "investment" on the campaign's official disclosure.

The Stroger campaign still has money coming in, including $100,000 from the war chest of former state Senate President Emil Jones, and has started a TV ad campaign. But it hasn't spent anything like $500,000 on the primary up to this point, declaring just $91,754 in spending in the second half of 2009.

As for his challenge to release tax returns, a Brown campaign spokesman acknowledged, "It's a good tactic on his part," but other opponents dismissed it.

"Toni's an alderman, and her husband's a schoolteacher," said a Preckwinkle spokeswoman. "They have no other sources of income, and beyond that we have no interest in taking part in a Todd Stroger publicity stunt."

O'Brien echoed that. "I'm too busy running my campaign," he said. "I have no time to do a tax-research project for Mr. Stroger. Instead of worrying about my finances, Mr. Stroger should be worrying about the finances of Cook County."

Stroger expressed confidence in Tuesday's election. "I expect to win," he said. "Because I'm the best candidate. Because the county's in great shape." He added, "When you look at the facts, it's easy to see I'm the best candidate."