Facing what appeared to be a losing battle,
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger today withdrew the nomination
of his former campaign chairman to a part-time post that came with a
salary and benefits.
Stroger had appointed Vincent Williams to a
seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Each of the five members on that
board get paid $38,530 a year to attend twice-monthly meetings. They
also get benefits, including pension payments and health and dental
insurance.
But Stroger backed off today, withdrawing Williams' name and instead
appointing Jeannie Nicole Romas, an attorney who is vice president of
Mercury Public Affairs’ Chicago office.
A majority of
commissioners likely would have voted against Williams’ appointment to
the five-year term. Stroger has only five months left in office after he
placed last in a four-way Democratic primary in February.
After
losing the primary, Stroger hired his former campaign spokesman, Carla
Oglesby, as a deputy chief of staff. She is being probed by the
inspector general in connection with contracts she approved.
