Chicago Sun Times Editorial - Stroger's health can't be kept secret for months
Chicago Sun Times Editorial - Stroger's health can't be kept secret for months
Copyright by The Chicago Sun times
May 28, 2006
Mayor Daley was angered by Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica's demand for proof that County Board President John Stroger is "alive and well enough to function" -- and possibly will be well enough to run against Peraica, the Republican candidate, in the November election. As difficult or distasteful as it may be to ask for a photo or tape of the ailing Stroger, is it not more objectionable for his family and supporters to cloak in secrecy the physical and psychological condition of the man who runs the 19th largest government in the United States?
In the days and even weeks after the 77-year-old Stroger suffered a debilitating stroke -- which didn't keep him from winning the March Democratic primary -- he and his family were entitled to their privacy as they dealt with his illness and doctors treated him and arrived at a prognosis. Personal needs came first. But now, more than two months after he was stricken and nine days after he was released from the Rehabilitation Institute, the people of Cook County are justified in demanding answers from the Stroger camp relating to their own well-being in the weeks and months ahead.
The most pressing questions pertain to the running of the county during the five-plus months before the election. If Stroger is unable to resume his responsibilities in due course, as seems likely, the procedure to choose someone else to take charge should be carried out. As Peraica said, reasonably, "With the county budget looming on the horizon, with over 40 union contracts to be negotiated, numerous executive appointments to be made, we can't wait until the end of October when Clerk David Orr has set the deadline to decide whether or not [Stroger's] going to be the candidate."
In raising the issue, Peraica was raising his own political profile. It's safe to say a lot more people know he's the Republican candidate for County Board president now than did before Mayor Daley ripped him for his remarks. But that doesn't diminish the validity of those remarks. And it's not as though Democrats haven't been busy positioning themselves to run in Stroger's stead. His son, Ald. Todd Stroger (8th), has declared himself the man for the job when not suggesting his father might recover and seek a fourth term. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and County Commissioner Bobbie Steele have tossed their hats into the ring to oppose Todd Stroger. Now, Ald. William Beavers (7th) is being promoted as a compromise candidate.
But there's a long way to go until November. What about the pressing challenges facing Cook County now? Some will argue that politicians are allowed to keep private health information private. In fact, U.S. presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, have hidden their health problems from the public. But those were different eras, and the fact that they got away with it doesn't make it right. Todd Stroger says his father likely will make a decision on whether or not he will run in July. But until then, what?
Copyright by The Chicago Sun times
May 28, 2006
Mayor Daley was angered by Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica's demand for proof that County Board President John Stroger is "alive and well enough to function" -- and possibly will be well enough to run against Peraica, the Republican candidate, in the November election. As difficult or distasteful as it may be to ask for a photo or tape of the ailing Stroger, is it not more objectionable for his family and supporters to cloak in secrecy the physical and psychological condition of the man who runs the 19th largest government in the United States?
In the days and even weeks after the 77-year-old Stroger suffered a debilitating stroke -- which didn't keep him from winning the March Democratic primary -- he and his family were entitled to their privacy as they dealt with his illness and doctors treated him and arrived at a prognosis. Personal needs came first. But now, more than two months after he was stricken and nine days after he was released from the Rehabilitation Institute, the people of Cook County are justified in demanding answers from the Stroger camp relating to their own well-being in the weeks and months ahead.
The most pressing questions pertain to the running of the county during the five-plus months before the election. If Stroger is unable to resume his responsibilities in due course, as seems likely, the procedure to choose someone else to take charge should be carried out. As Peraica said, reasonably, "With the county budget looming on the horizon, with over 40 union contracts to be negotiated, numerous executive appointments to be made, we can't wait until the end of October when Clerk David Orr has set the deadline to decide whether or not [Stroger's] going to be the candidate."
In raising the issue, Peraica was raising his own political profile. It's safe to say a lot more people know he's the Republican candidate for County Board president now than did before Mayor Daley ripped him for his remarks. But that doesn't diminish the validity of those remarks. And it's not as though Democrats haven't been busy positioning themselves to run in Stroger's stead. His son, Ald. Todd Stroger (8th), has declared himself the man for the job when not suggesting his father might recover and seek a fourth term. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and County Commissioner Bobbie Steele have tossed their hats into the ring to oppose Todd Stroger. Now, Ald. William Beavers (7th) is being promoted as a compromise candidate.
But there's a long way to go until November. What about the pressing challenges facing Cook County now? Some will argue that politicians are allowed to keep private health information private. In fact, U.S. presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, have hidden their health problems from the public. But those were different eras, and the fact that they got away with it doesn't make it right. Todd Stroger says his father likely will make a decision on whether or not he will run in July. But until then, what?
posted by Carlos T Mock at 9:09 AM
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