Cook County's Preckwinkle Moves To Take Politics Out Of Hiring
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Cook County is now requiring public employees to publicly declare when politics is involved in the hiring process.
Workers now must declare their political contacts in an effort to minimize the role of political clout when it comes to who gets a county job. Those who don't tell the truth could be fired, according to county Inspector General Pat Blanchard.
Andy Shaw, head of the Better Government Association, told Newsradio 780's Mike Krauser the effort as moving toward a more level playing field.
"You ought to have the same right to a job or a contract or a service as someone who is connected to the ward committeeman or the commissioner or the alderman and this is a step in the right direction," Shaw said.
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County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said: "This is a step toward ending the county's history of political favors and backroom deals."
It will all be on the Cook County website for anybody to see.
But will the days of "we don't want nobody, nobody sent" become a thing of the past?
"Those days will never be completely behind us," Shaw said. "This is another step toward a government that's legit, that's got a level playing field where everybody who pays their taxes has a shot at these jobs."
Shaw added that "people will have to think twice before they do favors for politicians when you have to write it down and turn it in and make it public, so it's important."
