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Cook County Government

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County Board President

* Todd H. Stroger, President

County Commissioners

* Earlean Collins, 1st District
* Robert Steele, 2nd District
* Jerry “Iceman” Butler, 3rd District
* William M. Beavers, 4th District
* Deborah Sims, 5th District
* Joan Patricia Murphy, 6th District
* Joseph Mario Moreno, 7th District
* Roberto Maldonado, 8th District
* Peter N. Silvestri, 9th District
* Mike Quigley, 10th District
* John P. Daley, 11th District
* Forrest Claypool, 12th District
* Larry Suffredin, 13th District
* Gregg Goslin, 14th District
* Timothy O. Schneider, 15th District
* Anthony J. Peraica, 16th District
* Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman, 17th District

County Elected Officials

* James M. Houlihan, Assessor
* Joseph Berrios, Commissioner Board of Review
* Brendan F. Houlihan, Commissioner Board of Review
* Larry R. Rogers, Jr., Commissioner Board of Review
* David Orr, County Clerk
* Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court
* Eugene Moore, Recorder of Deeds
* Thomas Dart, Sheriff
* Anita Alvarez, State’s Attorney
* Maria Pappas, Treasurer

http://www.co.cook.il.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=344&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=0&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true

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Cook County Commissioners are paid $85,000 per year in taxpayer-funded salary. But they also receive more than $1,200 a month in no-strings-attached “contingency checks,” Fox Chicago’s Dane Placko reports.

The money from these checks, intended for auxiliary expenses like office supplies, does not have to be itemized in the lean, single-page expense reports Commissioners file with the County. Commissioner William Beavers admits taking the entire contingency fund as personal income, a practice fellow Commissioner Larry Suffredin says could be a violation of state law.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/11/cook-county-commissioners_n_143108.html

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**Chicago Ward & Aldermen = 50

Aldermen must disclose any source of employment income that paid them more than $2,500

besides their $104,101-a-year city salaries.

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The Chicago City Council spends more on its own salaries than most other cities, according to an analysis of salary figures.

This year Chicago will spend nearly $5 million of taxpayers? money paying 48 of its 50 aldermen $98,125 a year (two others receive $85,000), according to the 2006 city budget. Aldermen’s jobs include everything from arranging for garbage pickup to voting on citywide legislation.

Chicago’s 50 aldermanic wards rank second only to New York?s 51, even though New York has slightly more than 5 million more people.

The expensive salaries have caused some in Chicago think condensing the number of wards would combat government overspending.

Los Angeles gets by fine with 15 council members, Stewart said. Granted, they pay them more, but their overall council budget is still less than Chicago’s.

With nearly 800,000 more citizens than Chicago, Los Angles spends slightly more than $2 million on its council members salaries, and in Houston, a city with 1 million fewer people than Chicago, the city spends $739,970 on its 14-person council.

Alderman Burton Natarus of the 42nd Ward in the central loop said if Chicago reduced the number of wards the city would not be able to work as effectively as it currently does.

http://www.columbiachronicle.com/paper/citybeat.php?id=2124

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Council members list their side jobs
Many aldermen worked as consultants, lawyers

By Dan Mihalopoulos and Hal Dardick
May 03, 2008

Chicago aldermen made extra money last year through lawyering, politicalconsulting and public relations work, among other side jobs listed in economicdisclosure statements released Friday.

Ald. Edward Burke (14th), an attorney and City Council veteran of almostfour decades, earned more than $5,000 from each of 38 legal clients that do business with the city or other local government agencies, including American Airlines, Walgreens, Walsh Construction Co., Palumbo Bros. and the now-defunctAmerican Trans Air Inc., which once dominated Midway Airport.

Burke, whose wife is state Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, also listedcapital gains of more than $5,000 from each of 34 companies, including Starbucks Corp.

Ald. William J.P. Banks (36th), chairman of the Zoning Committee, earnedat least $2,500 from working for the law firm of his brother, Samuel V.P.Banks, according to the disclosure.

The firm represents developers seeking zoning changes before the CityCouncil. Ald. Banks habitually abstains from voting on zoning changesaffecting his brother’s clients.
Aldermen must disclose any source of employment income that paid them morethan $2,500 besides their $104,101-a-year city salaries.

They also must reveal profits topping $5,000 from investments. And if theyor their spouses earn $5,000 or more from any company doing business withlocal government – including the city, CTA, Chicago Public Schools, ChicagoPark District and other agencies – that, too, must be disclosed.

Long before Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th) was elected last year, her solely owned consulting firm J. Donatella & Associates ran several Democratic campaigns, including that of her husband, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.(D-Ill.). She’s still active in that arena, the congressman said Friday.
Another freshman alderman, Brendan Reilly (42nd), disclosed he works part-time for the Dewey Square Group, a Washington, D.C.-based public relations firm.

“My contract specifically excludes work in Illinois,” Reilly said. “I did that so there wouldn’t even be the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd), a seasoned civil litigator in his first council term, disclosed that he has earned money working under appointment to the Cook and Will County state’s attorney’s offices. It’s work he said he haslittle time to do today.

The accounting firm that employs Rose Doherty, the wife of Ald. Brian Doherty (41st), has done work for the Fireman’s Annuity and Benefit Fund and the city’s Public Employee Deferred Compensation Plan.

The alderman said his wife now focuses mostly on work for non-profitcompanies, and he’s not sure whether she’s involved with work for the entities he listed.

Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st), said he didn’t think he was required to disclose that his wife, Ebonie, sells real estate for MGM Terrell Group, a developer in a tax increment finance district enacted by the city in his ward.
But after the issue was raised in his unsuccessful campaign for state’s attorney, he said he decided to report it in the interest of full transparency.

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/may/03/news/chi-city-aldermen-ethics-03may03

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**New York City:

# of City Councilmen = 51

# of Burough Presidents = 5

***New York City Population = 8+ million

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**Chicago

# of Chicago Alderman + Cook County Commissioners = 74

**Chicago Population = nearly 3 milliion