Dressed down
COUNTY BOARD | Casual wardrobe of juvenile center director doesn't suit Beavers, but he fires back and says he's got 'bigger fish to fry'
There's already a laundry list of problems at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, but so far no one has seen the wardrobe of its leader as a problem.
That changed Wednesday when county Commissioner William Beavers delivered a public dressing-down to its director, mockingly asking Earl Dunlap, "Do you own a suit?" while lecturing Dunlap that "your appearance commands respect" and that he's "supposed to be a role model."
(Sun-Times)
Dunlap, wearing a white polo shirt tucked into Dockers pants, chimed back, "I command respect by the way I conduct myself," adding that "the last person I need to be judged by is you."
"I've got bigger fish to fry ... than whether I've got my Armani suit on," Dunlap told reporters later.
Dunlap is a no-nonsense, nationally recognized juvenile center leader brought in by a federal judge to clean up a facility long hindered by patronage and allegations of abuse and filthy conditions.
Beavers, who is Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's floor leader, is a no-nonsense politician, known for his flashy suits and unapologetic support for patronage.
Some of Stroger's advisers seemed to cringe at the criticism.
The dust-up at the County Board meeting came as commissioners questioned the excessive overtime dollars being spent at the troubled juvenile facility.
Dunlap said the overtime is necessary because almost half of the center's 500 jobs are vacant or occupied by those repeatedly calling in sick or on some sort of medical leave.
A federal judge is set to rule today on Dunlap's request to temporarily bring in private security guards to work overnights until hundreds of jobs can be filled. That less-strenuous security shift is desired by senior staff, but Dunlap wants to move the more experienced workers to open jobs on the day shift.
Dunlap said new hires are slow to come on as they must meet more-stringent judicial hiring standards since the center has been taken over by Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Tim Evans.
