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The Stroger administration and its chief critic say it's time to look at the way Cook County certifies minority-owned contractors after revelations in Chicago's minority business program have spilled over to the county. One black woman — which the county believed was still the chief operating officer for a minority contractor — has been dead for more than a year, the county recently learned. The county is investigating that company, Crucial Communications, to determine whether it should be booted out of the minority business program, said Caryn Stancik, a spokeswoman for Cook County Board President John Stroger. In addition, the county is reviewing its entire minority business program, Stancik said. "Some months ago, the board approved a contract with Collette Holt, who is a nationally recognized (minority business program) person," Stancik said. "She's looking at our ordinance right now and looking at what we could do." The committee that oversees the program, led by South Side Democratic Commissioner Bobbie Steele, is holding its first meeting in years April 13. Commissioner Mike Quigley (D-Chicago), who plans to run for Stroger's seat next year, said he wants to go further and will propose changes in how the program is run. Quigley beliefs the program is being manipulated to help politically connected firms. "The whole purpose of (the minority business program) is to correct years and years of wrongs ... and bring folks up to an equal playing field who were abused for years and years and years," Quigley said. "To mess with that so your guys can make some money is as cynical and as obnoxious a process as I've ever seen." Quigley plans to introduce an ordinance this week that would let an outside firm decide if companies are minority owned. Quigley also wants to require any company seeking a contract to disclose how much the company, its directors, managers and owners have contributed to campaigns of county officials. The company would have to list whether any of its employees, subcontractors or consultants formerly worked for the county. At the center of the debate is a pair of companies now under investigation by Chicago and Cook County. Crucial Communications won a share of a county contract in March 2003 worth at least $6 million to install phones at Cook County Jail and other facilities. SBC, then led by Bill Daley, brother of Mayor Richard Daley, won the deal. The county requires all of its major contractors to get subcontractors from a list of firms certified by the county as minority owned and operated. Crucial Communications, owned and run by African-Americans Jabir Muhammad and Deloris Wade, got $1.3 million as SBC's subcontractor in the deal. The company manages the phones at the Cook County Jail. Attention focused on Crucial Communications when Chicago officials moved March 17 to kick its sister company, Crucial Inc., out of the city's minority business program. Both are run by Muhammad out of the same Huron Street office. County officials said at first they believed there was no problem with Crucial Communications. But the county began investigating after reports surfaced that Wade, the chief operating officer, has been dead for more than a year and that Muhammad has been too ill to run the company for three years. "In their recertification documents in September 2004, they did not indicate that there was any change in the ownership or management," said Stancik, Stroger's spokeswoman. "What we're investigating now is who is in charge of the company. Both the ownership and the operation has to remain in the hands of a minority." Calls to Muhammad's attorney and Crucial Communications were not returned. Quigley is concerned Crucial's political connections gave it a leg up in getting the contract. Orlando Jones, Stroger's godson and former chief of staff, has been tied to both companies, Quigley said. City officials said Crucial Inc. was a front for Panda Express, run by developer Tony Rezko, a friend of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. "This thing is greased on both ends and in the middle too," said Quigley, who voted against the deal in 2003. Stancik said the county had nothing to do with Crucial's selection. "You'd have to talk to SBC, they came in as a team. That's a SBC decision," Stancik said. SBC said it chose Crucial to meet the county requirements. "They were the only certified minority firm (on the county's list) that could perform the duties at the level necessary," company spokesman Jerry Lawrence said.