Stroger's son says he's his own man

'I'm not living out anybody else's dream,' Dem candidate insists

The 6-year-old took a seat in a large chair at the 8th Ward office and smiled.

"What can I do for you?" Hans Stroger asked his mother.

The son of Ald. Todd Stroger and grandson of former Cook County Board President John Stroger seems to understand family legacy.

For half a century, the family name has been synonymous with Chicago politics.

Todd Stroger grew up knowing his father was somebody and figured all the kids grew up stapling political signs to telephone poles and passing out political fliers.

Now, his own children are immersed in a political climate, watching their dad on television and traveling the county shaking hands.

As Todd Stroger, 43, makes those rounds, he makes note of the power of that family name. "Some people work with you because they know who your father is," he said. "And there are people who won't."

Therein lies the struggle Todd Stroger has been engaged in with voters since he was tapped this summer by Democratic Party leaders to fill his father's spot as their candidate for board president. He's running in the Nov. 7 election against Republican Tony Peraica.

For those who view Todd Stroger's father as a caring leader who expanded services to the poor and helped empower the disenfranchised, Todd Stroger wants to be viewed as someone continuing that legacy. For those who view his father as a symbol of patronage and waste, of all that is wrong with government, Todd Stroger wants to be viewed as someone different, who will bring a fresh voice to government.

To be sure, Todd Stroger is not John Stroger.

He attended Xavier University in New Orleans, just like his dad, bought the family house where his dad built his political empire, served as his dad's state representative and alderman, maintained the same campaign supporters that his father had and now wants his father's old job.

But the quest to fill his father's shoes has shown that Todd Stroger inherited none of his bravado or boasting.

It can seem a bit forced, at times, when Todd Stroger goes on the attack, and he says he has no interest in the rigid form of politics and government his father practiced.

"My father learned his management style in the '50s -- he was a dictator -- you made a decision, everyone fell in line behind you," Todd Stroger said. "I like to talk to people, get both sides of things, work with people."

But Todd Stroger has struggled to convince members of his own party that he's qualified to lead the $3 billion county government, and critics say he has worked for none of his positions, being handed each thanks to clout.

And critics say he wasn't a leader in the Legislature or City Council, instead going along with others.

He describes himself as more of a manager, someone who wasn't involved in student government at St. Ignatius High School or at Xavier. A practicing Catholic, he was a history major in college, where he met his wife, Jeanine. They have two children: Hans and Claire, 3.

Hans is named after Todd Stroger's brother, who died of an asthma attack in 1982.

If it was not clear after that tragedy, it became clear after John Stroger suffered a devastating stroke in March that the dynasty is in Todd Stroger's hands. That stroke has had a profound effect on the family, he concedes, as they have watched a man "who was always in control" become disabled, with "dignity lost."

And yet, Todd Stroger insists, he is not doing all of this for his father or for what it would mean for the family. "I'm not living out anybody else's dream," he said.

spatterson@suntimes.com

Appointments, anointments, patronage and clout.

They are the topics that invariably arise whenever there is a mention of Todd Stroger.

His mother, father, sister, wife and other relatives have all held government jobs, and Stroger has collected a public paycheck his entire adult life.

While he was a state legislator, he spent seven years working for a financial company that sold bonds to local governments, a job he said he was qualified for because he "met a lot of bankers" when he worked for the Chicago Park District and when his father was the Cook County Board's finance chairman.

Todd Stroger's best friend is a state representative, Marlow Colvin, while Gerald Nichols, described as "like an uncle" to Stroger, was the county's patronage chief.

Former County Board President John Stroger paved the way for his son by ensuring his appointment as state representative, then alderman.

Backlash came this summer, when party leaders publicly insisted John Stroger was recovering well from a stroke, getting him through a tough March primary, only to see him resign months later, and then those same leaders anointed Todd Stroger as his father's successor.

spatterson@suntimes.com

1. Last movie you felt like walking out of? "Leaving Las Vegas."
2. TV show you try not to miss? "Frasier" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
3. Weirdest trick you can do? None
4. Food you wouldn't eat, even on a bet? Chitterlings.
5. Worst punishment you got as a kid? Being grounded is terrible.
6. Book you think all Americans should read? Black and White Capitol.