Todd Stroger: 'This job is not tough'
THIS MUCH I KNOW
I've learned being president means making all the tough decisions for every elected county official and having to take the brunt of the hit for every decision. Other elected officials like it like that.
This job is not tough. It's disheartening to see elected officials grandstand for their own benefit.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
Being a Chicago alderman is the toughest position I've ever had.
My dad would say, "The lead dog always gets bit in the butt." Honestly, I've learned that is definitely true. I've learned by repetition and seasoning -- at this point, I've gotten lots of seasoning -- that you have to rally the troops and try to get them some recognition for what they do. That's what leaders do.
Bottom line is you have to get the job done. Passing the sales tax and cutting 17 percent of the budget took all the time and energy I had. I did not have a good night's sleep. I still don't have a good night's sleep.
What I really don't like is when I read "a source says this and that," and I know that's not true -- because it's about me. But once it's out there, the source is the truth, and that's it.
I would love for people to know Todd Stroger the person, who I really am, rather than how I can be portrayed in the newspaper. I see people at the East Bank Club, and they say to me, "Who is that guy in the papers?"
I've lost the legs for the turnaround jump shot, so I don't do that any more. Now, it's standing outside, around the top of the key, and getting a wide-open jumper.
The reason we have success with the Republicans is that we're right, and they know it. They might not want to talk about certain issues such as taxes, but you can be sure as shooting they know without that sales-tax money, the county is going down like a rock in the lake.
You have to have people who work with you whose concern is seeing it done right and the person out front doesn't look like a buffoon. Those are our Shakman-exempt employees.
People come to me for jobs all the time, and I tell them not only do I not know about the job you're talking about, I don't want to know.
The misconception is that our sales tax has destroyed the fabric of the city, when, in actuality, it doesn't affect so many things in everyone's everyday life. We are still a small portion of the sales tax.
I'm the guy in charge, at the top. If I look bad, it makes the county look bad. I don't want that to happen.
Everybody says there's investigations. Nobody knows. You don't know the feds are coming until they knock on the door and tell you to get out, and they're taking records.
If we had not passed the sales tax, we probably would see massive layoffs... We'd have to cut another 2,000 jobs -- not vacant positions, all live jobs.
When I go to the Jewels or Target ... there's a lot of support. Sometimes, people say, "I don't like what's going on in government, but I support you." Also, there's a lot of people who say, "You know what, I got a resume."
When you are trying to change something, it generally takes more than four years. Accomplishing a plan to streamline a government takes about five years. So I'd like to see that implemented.