Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Daily Herald
by Marisa Torrieri Medill News Service

Calling Cook County’s hiring practices as bad as Chicago’s, County Board Commissioner Mike Quigley on Tuesday called for a hiring panel to bring in the best and brightest candidates for county positions.

Quigley, a Chicago Democrat, blasted policies of hiring “somebody we know’s brother” one day after the county board president appointed a county official’s brother to a prominent post.

The panel is the first of several measures Quigley proposed to diminish what he called corrupt hiring practices within the county. Quigley, who last month announced he intends to challenge John H. Stroger for the county board presidency, proposed a number of new fair hiring practices he said he would enact if elected.

Additional measures would decentralize the county’s hiring practices and allow closer monitoring by the county bureau of human resources, as well as stiff penalties for system abuse.

 The system would be created following recommendations of an independent panel of human resources experts from other Chicago-area institutions.

Quigley’s announcement comes on the heels of a similar proposal last Thursday by Mayor Richard M. Daley to appoint an independent commission to handle hiring and promotion of city employees.

“It would be extraordinarily naive to think that what’s happening at the federal and state level isn’t happening here,” Quigley said.