Peraica for Real Reform

Candidate for Cook County Board President Tony Peraica was on the stump in suburban Cook County last week. I met him at a crowded coffee. Orphaned at age 11, through brains, hard work and the engaging force of his personality, Peraica the immigrant is an American success story. He has an impressive command of the facts and the needed determination to reform Cook County. Peraica promised to reduce payroll at bloated Patronage Central "through attrition or indictment" and estimates corruption "costs us $200 million a year".

I was especially charmed by the news of the $86,000 a year picnic table inspector.

Apparently the Sun Times cut their news group loose to make their best judgement on this race after making their embarassing endorsement of Stroger's boss-backed son.
Evanston Review:

Anthony Peraica has the experience and the ideas to succeed as president of the Cook County Board. His opponent, Todd Stroger, has neither. Therefore, we endorse Peraica for county board president.

As a member of the County Board, Peraica has fought the cronyism, nepotism, bloated patronage and rampant spending that has made Cook County government notorious.

As board president, he will be in a strong position to build consensus with reform-minded Democrats on the board. And building such a consensus must be a priority.

Peraica doesn't believe that fiscal responsibility is the same as eliminating services. He recognizes that many county services, such as health care to the poor, are vital. He doesn't want to eliminate such services, but find better ways to deliver them, and to improve them.

The overwhelming choice is Peraica. Endorsements roll in from newspapers and community groups all around Chicago.

The Tribune in its editorial yesterday exposed the reckless disregard for the truth in the "fill-in-the-blanks" attack ads of the Stroger camp.

And today's challenges the citizens of Cook County to vote for Tony Peraica:

Come Tuesday, we'll also learn how many citizens want to overthrow an entrenched regime that has tried to cover up hellish abuse of girls and boys at the county's juvenile detention center. We'll learn whether citizens will endorse--or reject--shabby health services for poor people at Stroger Hospital and other county patronage pits. We'll learn whether citizens who whine about paying high taxes to a corrupt county government choose to keep on whining impotently--or vote to cut the county's vast bureaucracy.

Come Tuesday, finally, we'll learn who most wants control of this $3 billion enterprise--the clout crowd, or the citizens who pay the bills.

Cook County government is the 18th largest in the country, larger than 32 states. Must we continue to be the butt of jokes around the country for the corruption of our county?

This may be the only chance you have in your lifetime to break the bosses' stranglehold on Cook County.

Reject the reckless and grasping dishonesty embodied in Todd Stroger.

Say yes to an honest and persevering reformer.

VOTE Tony Peraica.