Friday, June 16, 2006
Chicago Sun-Times

For more than three months now we have been asked to trust the friends and family of Cook County Board President John Stroger, who say he is still able to govern despite suffering a serious stroke in March. Their word has kept most County Board members from acknowledging a lack of leadership that grows more obvious with each passing day. Stroger loyalists promise to reveal more in July, but the board needs to get ready to act now.
Stroger hasn't been seen or heard from since the stroke. Last week, his family didn't even reveal his return to the hospital, and this week they cited a federal privacy law to avoid talking about why he was there or how he was doing, other than to say he went "because he needed to go." That, frankly, is outrageous. We don't need to know the details of Stroger's medical tests. We'd simply like to hear from him or his doctors about his condition. That is not an unreasonable demand considering Stroger is a public figure in charge of one of the nation's biggest governments.
The Stroger family's July deadline is fast approaching. We hope their plans include frank talk about Stroger's health as well as an honest assessment of his ability to finish his term and run for another one in November. It will be a simple matter procedurally -- though hardly easy politically -- if he is prepared to voluntarily relinquish his post and his spot on the ballot. But if the family tells us to take their word that he can go on without providing any proof, or if they delay making an announcement, it will be much tougher. Commissioners, however, will no longer have an excuse for doing nothing. They'd better be ready to name at least an interim replacement.
Part of the problem is that state and county law doesn't provide any guidance about replacing an ailing elected official without his or her consent. State law instructs us how to fill a vacancy created by, among other things, an "inability to act," but it doesn't say how to determine whether an inability exists when the officeholder denies it. That's why County Commissioner Tony Peraica -- who is running as the GOP nominee for Stroger's post in November -- proposes to hold a hearing to determine whether Stroger is "presently able to discharge the powers and responsibilities" of his office.
There is little enthusiasm on the board for his proposal or any others that would force Stroger out of office. There may not even be enough for a plan from Commissioner Larry Suffredin to give Stroger an incentive to step aside temporarily by guaranteeing he would retain his salary and benefits. But commissioners aren't doing their job if they avoid the hard choices that come their way. We hope Stroger and his family recognize how critical it is to be honest about his future. But if they aren't more forthcoming, the board must do its duty and act on its own.