8/29/2006

L'Affaire Stroger, Part CDXXXVII

The saga marches on, you might say.  Bobbie Steele, veteran county board commissioner named temporary replacement for the incapacitated president, John Stroger, is "uncomfortable," she said -- make it all past tense when reporting this business -- with the hiring-freeze hiring of 1,300 employees, as we presume she was uncomfortable with the Stroger patronage chief, whom she bumped laterally.  But not uncomfortable in either case to fire anyone.  It is encouraging, however, that a few weeks in the job has gotten the party grin off her puss in newsp pix.
 
In addition, she's knocking John Stroger now: his administration was "insulated."  But she didn't fire the patronage man, who is able to sing or hum the old favorite:
I'm bidin' my time/
"Cause that's the kinda guy I'm
Actually 'cause Baby Stroger has all that patronage army working the precincts for him.  It's the confidence that led Ald. Beavers tell reporters when the stricken Stroger was still president, "We can do anything we want."
 
Steve Patterson is all over this story in Sun-Times, offering us nothing cute and keeping stories down to 500 or so well chosen words, which is how they all should be written for daily newspapers.

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