Tony Peraica

Cook Co. Commissioners Try To Rein In Back-Door Pay Raises

Angela Caputo — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:31:08 -0800

Last week, FOX News Chicago exposed how some Cook County commissioners are converting a $1,200-per-month expense account into personal income or using it to lease a car or pay off their own education expenses. Like many stories of government waste in Chicago, the FOX investigation surfaced, caused some brief consernation, then quietly slipped away. When confronted by FOX's Dane Placko about his pocketing of the monthly checks, Comm. William Beavers' brazen response said it all. Watch:

No one should be "all right" about Beavers turning taxpayer dollars into a de facto $14,000 pay raise. We decided to follow-up on the story to learn what -- if anything -- is being done to address the issue. What we found is that Commissioners Mike Quigley and Tony Peraica are angling behind the scenes to eliminate the $245,000 contingency fund from next year's budget. Until Board President Todd Stroger rolls out the much-anticipated 2009 spending plan, however, nothing's likely to happen on this front. In the meantime, Quigley and Comm. Larry Suffredin are drafting a proposal for stricter oversight on how the money's being spent.

Change, according to Suffredin, is likely to come via an enabling resolution, which is passed along with the budget each year. Under the resolution, for the first time, guidelines for how commissioners can spend the $1,200-a-month checks would be spelled out along with documentation requirements.

"This is intended to benefit constituents," Suffredin says of the fund, which is being treated by some as a backdoor pay raise. "What's clear is that there are no standards on how this money is being spent."

According to the rather vague expense reports filed in recent years, several commissioners have simply decided to spend the taxpayer money -- intended to cover out-of-pocket work expenses -- on themselves. Some hightlights:

- In two years, Commissioner Deborah Sims spent some $19,600 to lease a Cadillac. An additional $10,000 went toward gas, oil changes and other vehicle expenses;

- Commissioners Beavers and Joan Murphy have simply taken the money as personal income;

- Commissioner Liz Gorman paid for her college tuition and downtown hotel stays;

- Commissioner Joseph Moreno used his fund to boost the pay of staffer Ambrosio Medrano, a former Chicago alderman who was convicted in a kick-back scheme.

Seven commissioners -- such as Peraica -- have donated money from their expense accounts to various charities. In their second report, FOX quoted Comm. Forest Claypool saying, "This money, in my view, was never intended to be a personal piggy bank for politicians to give money to their favorite causes at taxpayer expense. If they want to give their personal money to a charity, that's fine."

It remains to be seen if the commissioners will go along with the proposal to wipe out the fund entirely. Suffredin acknowledges that for those who've used the money for legitimate expenses -- mileage reimbursements, cell phone and Internet service, etc. -- it could be a tough sell.

At the very least, those who are abusing the account need to be reined in, Quigley says. "If you have it, you regulate it."

Tribune Backs Up Fitzgerald On Peraica Mailer

Josh Kalven — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:40:25 -0700

Today, the Tribune editorial board slammed Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica for refusing to retrieve campaign materials that use U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's image -- even after Fitzgerald requested that he do so:

Fitzgerald is right when he writes that Peraica's flier "creates the misleading impression that I have endorsed your candidacy in my capacity as the United States attorney in this district."

A candidate seeking the highest law enforcement job in Cook County ought to be the first to distance himself from even potentially misleading campaign propaganda. And this flier goes beyond "potentially."

Instead of ceasing and desisting, Peraica has responded to the U.S. attorney with . . . an invitation to lunch. So far, no response.

Mr. Peraica, quit trying to be clever. This stunt doesn't inspire confidence that you'd be a judicious prosecutor—or that you'd enjoy the respect and cooperation of the U.S. attorney's office.

Fitzgerald doesn't want to be a prop on your flier, and he won't be a prop at lunch. Better to apologize, recall the misleading fliers—and put all half-million out for recycling.

Patrick Fitzgerald Reprimands Peraica

Josh Kalven — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:41:56 -0700

In a recent mailer from his GOP campaign for states attorney, a photograph of Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica appears alongside that of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, above the words: "U.S. Attorney's Office Needs Help Fighting Corrruption In Cook County." See the pic below:

Not surprisingly, Fitzgerald didn't take too kindly to the use of his image in campaign materials. The Sun-Times' Abdon Pallasch reports:

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has asked Republican Cook County state's attorney candidate Tony Peraica to stop passing out a campaign flier that looks to Fitzgerald like Peraica is claiming his endorsement. [...]

Fitzgerald said in his letter he had never even met Peraica. "The flier creates the misleading assumption that I have endorsed your candidacy. . . . That is by no means the case. I have never endorsed any candidate in any race for anything (much less someone I do not believe I have yet had occasion to meet.)"

Fitzgerald's letter asks Peraica how many of the fliers he has sent out "and where they have been distributed and what efforts have been made to retrieve them."

Peraica said he will make no efforts to retrieve them.

"I don't think the flier is inappropriate," Peraica said. "I think any objective examination of that door-hanger piece would show that no endorsement is stated or implied."

UPDATE: Read Fitzgerald's letter here (PDF).

Peraica Runs Against Stroger As Alvarez Works Behind The Scenes

Mose Buchele — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:01:17 -0700

If you've been wondering why there hasn't been much coverage of the Cook County State's Attorney race, The Chicago Reader's Mick Dumke has one possible answer: it doesn't benefit either candidate to directly target each other. Democrat Anita Alvarez is "playing it safe and smart" by keeping a low profile, consolidating party support, and anticipating an Obama-fueled November victory. Meanwhile, Republican Tony Peraica is getting a lot more traction beating up on controversial Cook County Board President Todd Stroger than engaging his actual opponent:

In fact, since the February 5 primaries, Peraica has issued statements about Todd Stroger at least 17 times, by my count. Alvarez only got 14 mentions.

Read the whole analysis here.

The Peraica Strategy: Fake It Til' Ya Make It

Mose Buchele — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:32:20 -0700

Someone unfamiliar with Cook County politics might get a little confused if they stumbled across Republican County Commissioner Tony Peraica's campaign website. That's because the header at JoinPeraica.com simply features Tony's name atop the title "State's Attorney." To the right side of the web page it gets more specific, reading "Cook County State's Attorney" in big, bold letters.

The problem is that Peraica doesn't own that title; rather, he's in a race against Democrat Anita Alvarez for the position. Alvarez, by the way, is currently chief deputy State's Attorney (for real).

The heading of Alvarez's campaign site could be instructive here. It reads "Anita Alvarez for State's Attorney." It'd be helpful if Tony could do the same and throw the word "for" or "elect" or even "vote" somewhere near the title he is aspiring to.

I mean, why bother running if he can just declare himself State's Attorney to begin with?